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Humphry  Davy 

POET  AND  PHILOSOPHER! 


Edited  by 

SirHenryE-Roscoe 

■d.c.l.,:u..d,:f.r.s. 


C.  M.  BROWN. 
Dec.  I9S2 


THE   CENTURY   SCIENCE   SERIES 


Edited    by    SIR    HENRY    E.    ROSCOE,    D.C.L.,    LL.D.,    F.R.S. 


HUMPHRY  DAYY 

POET  a:^d  philosopher 


The  Century  Science  Series. 

SIR   IIKNKV    E.   ROSCOK,   D.C.L.,  F.K.S. 
John  Dalton  and  the  Rise  of  Modern  Chemistry. 

l;y    Sii     llKNKV     K.     R'Sldl-,     I'.K.S. 

Major  Rennell,  F.R.S.,  and  the  Rise  of  English 
Geography.  „   „     . , 

r.y  Sii  C'l  KMRN  IS  R.  Markiiam,  C.H.,  F.R.S.,  President 

111  I  he  l^oy.il  Gcogr.ipliical  Snciety. 

Justus  von  Liebig:  his  Life  and  Work  (1803-1873). 

By  \V.  A.  Shknstonb,  F.l.C,  Lecturer  on  Chemistry  in 
Clifton  College. 

The  Herschels  and  Modem  Astronomy. 

r.y  AcNi.s  M.   Ci.KUKK,  Autlior  of  "A  Popul.ir  History 
of  Aslroiiomy  during  the  Kjlli  Century,"  &c. 

Charles  Lyell  and  Modem  Geology. 

Ity  Kcv.   I'rofcssor   T.  G.  litJNNEV,   F.R.S. 

James  Clerk  Maxwell  and  Modem  Physics. 

I'.v  R    r.  ('.LA/.i:iiRooK,  K.R.S.,  Fellow  of  Trinity  College, 

CaMil.ri>l);e. 

Humphry  Davy,  Poet  and  Philosopher. 

By  T.  E.  Thokpe,   F.R.S.,  LL.D.,  I'rincipal  Chemist  of 
the  Government  Laboratories. 

In  rreparation. 

Michael  Faraday  :   his  Life  and  Work. 

I'.y  Professor  Sh.vanus  P.   TiioMi'SON,   F.R.S. 

Pasteur :  his  Life  and  Work. 

liy  M.  Armani)  Ruffer,  M.D.,  Director  of  the  British 

In^iiuite  ot   Preventive  Medicine. 

Charles  Darwin  and  the  Origin  of  Species. 

By  Eluvauu  H.  Poulton,  M..-\.,  F.R.S.,  Hope  Professor 
ol  Zoology  in  the  University  of  Oxford. 

Hermann  von  Helmholtz. 

Hy  A.   \V    RrcKEK,   F.R.S.,  Professor  of  Physics  in  the 
Royal  College  of  Science,  London. 

CASSKLL  &  COMPANY,  Limited,  London;  Parisb' Melbourne. 


, 


HUMPHRY      DAVY. 


THE    CENTURY   SCIENCE    SERIES 


Humphry  Davy 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER 


BY 


T.   E.   THOEPE,   LL.D.,   F.E.S. 


CAS  SELL    AND    COMPANY,    Limited 

LONDON,     PAEIS    #     MELBOURNE 
1896 

ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 


ai) 


PEEFACE 


For  the  details  of  Sir  Humphry  Davy's  personal  histoiy,  as 
set  forth  in  this  little  book,  I  am  mainly  indebted  to  the 
well-known  memoirs  by  Dr.  Paris  and  Dr.  John  Davy.  As 
biographies,  these  works  are  of  very  unequal  value.  To  begin 
with,  Dr.  Paris  is  not  unfrequently  inaccurate  in  his  state- 
ments as  to  matters  of  fact,  and  disingenuous  in  his  inferences 
as  to  matters  of  conduct  and  opinion.  The  very  extravagance 
of  his  laudation  suggests  a  doubt  of  his  judgment  or  of  his 
sincerity,  and  this  is  strengthened  by  the  too  evident  relish 
with  which  he  dwells  upon  the  foibles  and  frailties  of  his 
subject.  The  insincerity  is  reflected  in  the  literary  style  of 
the  narrative,  which  is  inflated  and  over-wrought.  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  who  knew  Davy  well  and  who  admired  his  genius  and 
his  many  social  gifts,  characterised  the  book  as  '■^unyentlemanly" 
in  tone ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  gave  pain  to  many 
of  Davy's  friends  who,  like  Scott,  believed  that  justice  had 
not  been  done  to  his  character. 

Dr.  Davy's  book,  on  the  other  hand,  whilst  perhaps  too 
partial  at  times — as  might  be  expected  from  one  who  writes 
of  a  brother  to  whom  he  was  under  great  obligations,  and 
for  whom,  it  is  evident,  he  had  the  highest  respect  and 
affection — is  wi'itten  with  candour,  and  a  sobriety  of  tone 
and  a  directness  and  simplicity  of  statement  far  more  effective 
than  the  stilted  euphuistic  periods  of  Dr.  Paris,  even  when 
he  seeks  to  be  most  forcible.  When,  therefore,  I  have  had 
to  deal  with  conflicting  or  inconsistent  statements  in  the  two 
works  on  matters  of  fact,  I  have  generally  preferred  to  accept 
the  version  of  Dr.  Davy,  on  the  ground  that  he  had  access  to 
sources  of  information  not  available  to  Dr.  Paris. 

Davy  played  such  a  considerable  part  in  the  social  and 
intellectual  world  of  London  during  the  first  quarter  of  the 
century  that,  as  might  be  expected,  his  name  frequently 
occurs  in  the  personal  memoiis  and  biographical  literature 
of  his  time  ;  and  a  number  of  journals  and  diaries,  such  as 
those  of  Horner,  Ticknor,  Henry  Crabb  Robinson,  Lockhart, 
Maria  Edgeworth,  and  others  that  might  be  mentioned,  make 
reference  to  him  and  his  work,  and  indicate  what  his  con- 
temporaries thought  of  his  character  and  achievements.     Some 


vi  PREFACE. 

(^f  tlicsc  n  iVitiut's  will  1k^  found  in  tho  following  pages.  It 
will  Miiini.sc  many  I/nuloners  to  know  that  thoy  owe  the 
Zo»)logiciil  (Janlens,  in  large  measure,  to  a  Professor  of 
Chemistrv  in  .Mhcmarle  Strccf.  ami  that  the  magnificent 
e-stniilislunent  in  the  Cromwell  lioiul,  South  Kensington,  is 
th««  outeome  of  the  repre.sentations,  unsuccessful  for  a  time, 
which  he  made  to  his  brother  trustees  of  the  liritish  INIuseum 
as  t<i  the  plaee  of  natural  history  in  the  national  collections, 
|)a\v  had  a  leading  .share  also  in  the  foundation  of  the 
Afhena'um  Chih,  and  wa.s  one  of  its  first  trustees. 

I  am  fiuthcr  under  very  special  ol)ligati()ns  to  Dr. 
Humphry  I),  llolle.ston,  the  grand-nephew  of  .Sir  Humphry 
Davy,  for  much  valuable  mat+'rial,  procured  through  the 
kinil  <-o-operation  of  Miss  Davy,  the  granddaughter  of 
Mr.  .Fohn  Davy.  This  consisted  of  letters  from  Priestley, 
Kirwan,  Southey,  Coleridge,  Mai'ia  Edgeworth,  ^Nlrs.  Peddoes 
(.\nna  Edgeworth),  Sir  Joseph  Bank.s,  Gregory  Watt,  and 
otht-rs  ;  and,  what  is  of  especial  interest  to  his  biographer,  a 
lari,'t'  nund»er  of  Davy's  own  letters  to  his  wife.  In  addition  were 
papeifi  relating  to  the  invention  of  the  Safety  Lamp.  Some  of 
the  lettei-s  have  already  been  publisheil  by  Dr.  John  Davy, 
but  others  now  appear  in  print  for  the  first  time.  I  am  also 
indebted  to  Dr.  Kollestctn  for  the  loan  of  the  portrait  represent- 
ing Davy  in  Court  dress  and  in  the  piesidential  chair  of  the 
Royal  Society,  which,  reproduced  in  photogravure,  forms  the 
frontisj>iece  to  this  book.  The  original  is  a  small  highly- 
tinishe<l  work  by  Jack.son,  and  was  painted  about  1823.  The 
picture  originally  belonged  to  Lady  Davy,  who  refers  to  it 
in  the  letter  to  Davies  Gilbert  (quoted  by  Weld  in  his 
"  History  of  the  lloyal  Society  "),  in  which  she  offers 
I«awrence's  well-known  portrait  to  the  Society,  and  which, 
l»y  the  way,  the  Society  nearly  lost  through  the  subsequent 
action  of  the  painter. 

For  the  references  to  the  early  history  of  the  Royal 
Institution  I  am  mainly  indebted  to  Dr.  Pence  Jones's  book. 
I  have,  moreover,  to  thank  the  Managers  of  the  Institution 
for  their  kindness  in  giving  me  permission  to  see  the  minutes 
of  the  early  meetings,  and  also  for  allowing  me  to  consult  the 
mainiscripts  ;ind  laljoratory  journals  in  their  possession.  These 
includf  thf  original  records  of  Da\-y's  work,  and  also  the  notes 
taken  by  Faraday  of  his  lectures.  The  Managers  have  also 
allowed  me  to  reproduce  Miss  Harriet  Moore's  sketch — first 


PREFACE.  VU 

brought  to  my  notice  by  Professor  Dewar — of  the  chemical 
laboratory  of  the  Institution  as  it  appeared  in  the  time  of 
Davy  and  Faraday,  and  I  have  to  thank  them  for  the  loan 
of  Gillray's  characteristic  drawing  of  the  Lecture  Theatre,  from 
which  the  illustration  on  p.  70  has  been  prepared. 

I  have  necessarily  had  to  refer  to  the  relations  of  Davy  to 
Faraday,  and  I  trust  I  have  said  enough  on  that  subject. 
Indeed,  in  my  opinion,  more  than  enough  has  been  said 
already.  It  is  not  necessary  to  belittle  Davy  in  order  to  exalt 
Faraday ;  and  writers  who,  like  Dr.  Paris,  unmindful  of  George 
Herbert's  injunction,  are  prone  to  adopt  an  antithetical  style 
in  biographical  narrative  have,  I  am  convinced,  done  Davy's 
memory  much  harm. 

I  regret  that  the  space  at  my  command  has  not  allowed 
me  to  go  into  greater  detail  into  the  question  of  George 
Stephenson's  i-elations  to  the  invention  of  the  safety  lamp. 
I  have  had  ample  material  placed  at  my  disposal  for  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  question,  and  I  am  specially  indebted  to  Mr. 
John  Pattiuson  and  the  Council  of  the  Literary  and  Philo- 
sophical Society  of  Ne\vcastle-u])on-Tjne  for  their  kindness  in 
lending  me  a  rare,  if  not  unique,  collection  of  pamphlets 
and  reprints  of  newspaper  articles  which  made  their  appear- 
ance when  the  idea  of  offering  Davy  some  proof  of  the  value 
which  the  coal  owners  entertained  of  his  invention  was  first 
promulgated.  George  Stephenson's  claims  are  not  to  be  dis- 
missed summarily  as  pretensions.  Indeed,  his  behaviour 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  controversy  increases  one's  respect 
for  him  as  a  man  of  integrity  and  rectitude,  conscious  of 
what  he  thought  due  to  himself,  and  showing  only  a  proper 
assurance  in  his  own  vindication.  -  I  venture  to  think,  how- 
ever, tliat  the  conclusion  to  which  I  have  arrived,  and 
which,  from  the  exigencies  of  space,  is,  I  fear,  somewhat 
baldly  stated,  as  to  the  apportionment  of  the  merit  of  this 
memorable  invention,  is  just  and  can  be  well  established 
Stephenson  miyltt  possibly  have  hit  upon  a  safety  lamp  if 
he  had  been  allowed  to  work  out  his  own  ideas  independently 
and  by  the  purely  em[)irical  methods  he  adopted,  and  it  is 
conceivable  that  his  lamp  niiyht  have  assumed  its  present 
form  without  the  intervention  of  Davy ;  but  it  is  difficult 
to  imagine  that  an  unlettered  man,  absolutely  without  know- 
ledge of  physical  science,  could  have  discovered  the  philosophical 
principle  upon  which  the  security  of  the  lamp  depends. 
May,  1896.  T.  E.  T. 


CONTENTS 


CUAITKK  I'AGE 

I,— Pexzanck  :   1778-1798 9 

II.— Till    INkimatic  Institition,  Bkistol  :    1798-1801  .         .  26 

III. — TiiK  Pneumatic   Ixstitutiox,  ISkistol  :    1798-1801    {con- 
tinued)          54 

IV. — Thk  Royal  Ixstitvtion 66 

V. — Thk  Chemical  Lahouatouy  oi   the  Roval  Institution  .  90 

VI. — Tin:  iMiL.vnoN  or  the  Metals  or  the  Alkalis        .  110 

VII. — Chlouixe 134 

VI 11. — Maruiage  —  Knighthood  —  "Elements      of     Chemical 

Philosophy" — Nitrogen  Tuichloride — Fluouine  .  155 

l.\. — Davy  and  Faraday — Iodine 173 

X.— The  Safety  Lamp 192 

XI. — Davy  and  the  Royal  f^ociETY— His  Last  Days      .        .  213 


Humphry  Davy, 

POET      AND      PHILOSOPHER. 
CHAPTER     I. 

PENZANCE  :     1778-1798. 

Humphry  Davy,  the  eldest  son  of  "Carver"  Robert 
Davy  and  his  wife  Grace  Millett,  was  born  on  the  I7th 
December,  1778."'^  His  biographers  arc  not  wholly  agreed 
as  to  the  exact  place  of  his  birth.  In  the  "Lives  of 
Philosophers  of  the  Time  of  George  III."  Lord  Brougham 
states  that  the  great  chemist  was  born  at  Yarfell,  a 
homestead  or  "  town-place "  in  the  parish  of  Ludgvan, 
in  the  Mount's  Bay,  where,  as  the  registers  and  tomb- 
stones of  Ludgvan  Church  attest,  the  family  had  been 
settled  for  more  than  two  hundred  years. 

Mr.  Tregellas,  in  his  "  Cornish  Worthies "  (vol.  i., 
p.  247),  also  leaves  the  place  uncertain,  hesitating, 
apparently,  to  decide  between  Varfell  and  Penzance. 

According  to  Dr.  John  Davy,  his  brother  Humphry 
was  born  in  Market  Jew  Street,  Penzance,  in  a  house 
now  pulled  down,  but  which  was  not  far  from  the  statue 
of  him  that  stands  in  front  of  the  Market  House  of 
this  town.  Dr.  Davy  further  states  that  Humphry's 
parents  removed  to  Varfell  some  years  after  his  birth, 
when  he  himself  was  taken  charge  of  by  a  Mr.  Tonkin. 

*  In  some  biographical  notices — e.tj.   in    the    Gentleman'' s    Magazvir, 
xcix.  pt.  ii.  9 — the  year  is  given  as  1779. 


10  HUM  I'll  KV    DAVY, 

Tlio  Dav3's  orijj^inally  belonged  to  Norfolk.  The 
first  iiu'iiihor  of  the  fainily  that  settled  in  Cornwall 
Wius  holioved  to  have  acted  as  "steward  to  the  Duke 
of  Bolton,  who  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth  had  a  con- 
siderable property  in  the  Mount's  Bay.  They  were, 
lus  a  chuss,  respectable  yeomen  in  fairly  comfortable 
circumstances,  who  for  generations  back  had  received 
a  lettered  echication.  They  took  to  themselves  wives 
from  the  Eusticks,  Adamses,  Milletts,  and  other  old 
Conii.sh  families,  and,  if  we  may  credit  the  testimony 
of  the  tombstones,  had  many  virtues,  were  not  over- 
given  to  smuggling  or  wrecking,  and,  for  the  most 
part,  died  in  their  own  beds. 

The  grandfather  of  Humphry,  Ednuind  Davy,  was 
a  builder  of  repute  in  the  west  of  Cornwall,  who  married 
well  and  left  his  eldest  son  Robert,  the  father  of  the 
chemist,  in  possession  of  the  small  copyhold  property 
o\'  Varfell,  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made. 
Robert,  although  a  person  of  some  capacity,  seems 
to  have  been  shiftless,  thriftless,  and  lax  in  habits. 
In  his  youth  he  had  been  taught  wood-carving,  and 
specimens  of  his  skill  are  still  to  be  seen  in  and  about 
Penzance.  But  he  practised  his  art  in  an  irregular 
fashion,  his  energies  being  mainly  spent  in  field 
sports,  in  unsuccessful  experiments  in  farming,  and  in 
hazardous,  and  for  the  most  part  fruitless,  ventures 
in  mining.  At  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he 
was  forty-eight,  his  affairs  were  found  to  be  sadly 
embarrassed;  his  widow  and  five  children  were  left  in 
very  straitened  circumstances,  and  Yarfell  had  to  be 
given  up. 

Fortunately  for  the  children,  the  mother  possessed 
the  qualities  which  the  father  lacked.  Casting  about 
for  the  means  of  bringing  up  and  educating  her  family, 


POET  AND   PHILOSOPHER.  11 

she  opened  a  milliner's  shop  in  the  town,  in  partnership 
with  a  French  lady  who  had  fled  to  England  during 
the  Revolution. 

By  prudence,  good  management,  and  the  forbearance 
of  creditors,  she  not  only  succeeded  in  rearing  and 
educating  her  children,  but  gradually  liquidated  the 
whole  of  her  husband's  debts.  Some  years  later,  by  an 
unexpected  stroke  of  fortune,  she  was  able  to  relinquish 
her  business.  She  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  cheerful 
and  serene,  happy  in  the  respect  and  affection  of  her 
children  and  in  the  esteem  and  regard  of  her  towns- 
people. Such  a  woman  could  not  fail  to  exercise  a 
strono-  and  lastinsr  influence  for  good  on  her  children. 
That  it  powerfully  affected  the  character  of  her  son 
Humphry,  he  would  have  been  the  first  to  admit. 
Nothinsf  in  him  was  more  remarkable  or  more  beautiful 
than  his  strong  and  abidinor  love  for  his  mother.  No 
matter  how  immersed  he  was  in  his  own  aflfairs,  he 
could  always  find  time  amidst  the  whirl  and  excitement 
of  his  London  life,  amidst  the  worry  and  anxiety  of 
official  cares — or,  when  abroad,  among  the  peaks  of  the 
Noric  Alps  or  the  ruins  of  Italian  cities — to  think  of 
his  far-away  Cornish  home  and  of  her  round  whom  it 
was  centred.  To  the  last  he  opened  out  his  heart  to 
her  as  he  did  to  none  other;  she  shared  in  all  his 
aspirations,  and  lived  with  him  through  his  triumphs ; 
and  by  her  death,  just  a  year  before  his  own,  she  was 
happily  spared  the  knowledge  of  his  physical  decay  and 
approaching  end. 

Davy  was  about  sixteen  years  of  age  when  his  father 
died.  At  that  time  he  was  a  bright,  curly-haired, 
hazel- eyed  lad,  somewhat  narrow-chested  and  under- 
grown,  awkward  in  manner  and  gait,  but  keenly  fond 


12  llL'Mi'liUV    J)AVY, 

of  out-dttor  sport,  and  more  distinguislicd  for  a  love  of 
miscliiof  than  of  learning. 

I>r.  Cardow,  of  tlie  'I'niro  (irannnar  School,  where, 
l)y  the  kiiuhiess  of  the  Tonkins,  he  spent  the  year 
precechng  his  father's  death,  wrote  of  him  that  he  did 
not  at  that  time  discover  any  extraordinary  abilities, 
or.  so  far  as  conhl  bo  observed,  any  propensity  to  those 
scientific  puVsnits  which  raised  hhn  to  such  eminence. 
"  His  best  exercises  were  translations  from  the  classics 
into  Enghsh  verse."  He  had  previously  spent  nine 
years  in  the  Penzance  Grannnar  School  under  the 
tyniimy  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Coryton,  a  man  of  irregular 
habits  and  as  deficient  in  good  method  as  in  scholar- 
ship. As  Davy  used  to  come  up  for  the  customary 
c;istigation,  the  worthy  follower  of  Orbilius  was  wont  to 

repeat — 

"  Now,  Master  Davy, 
Now,  sir  !  I  have  'ee 
No  one  shall  save  'ee — 
Good  blaster  Davy!" 

llr  had,  too,  an  unpleasant  habit  of  pulling  the  boys' 
ears,  on  the  supposition,  apparently,  that  their  recep- 
tivity for  oral  instruction  was  thereby  stimulated.  It 
is  recorded  that  on  one  occasion  Davy  appeared  before 
him  with  a  large  plaster  on  each  ear,  explaining,  with 
a  very  grave  face,  that  he  had  "  put  the  plasters  on  to 
prevent  mortification."  Whence  it  may  be  inferred 
that,  in  spite  of  all  the  caning  and  the  ear-pulhng, 
there  was  still  much  of  the  unregenerate  Adam  left  in 
"good  Master  Davy." 

Mr.  Cory  ton's  method  of  inculcating  knowledge  and 
the  love  of  learning,  happily,  had  no  permanent  ill-effect 
on  the  boy.  Years  afterwards,  when  reflecting  on  his 
school-life,  he  wrote,  in  a  letter  to  his  mother — 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  13 

"  After  all,  the  way  in  which  we  are  tauglit  Latin  and  Greek 
does  not  much  inHuence  the  important  structure  of  our  minds.  I 
consider  it  fortunate  that  I  was  left  much  to  myself  when  a  child, 
and  put  upon  no  particular  plan  of  study,  and  that  I  enjoyed  much 
idleness  at  Mr.  Coryton's  school.  I  perhaps  owe  to  these  circum- 
stances the  little  talents  that  I  have  and  their  peculiar  application." 

If  Davj^'s  abilities  were  not  perceived  by  his  masters, 
they  seemed  to  have  been  fully  recognised  by  his  school- 
fellows— to  judge  from  the  frequency  with  which  they 
sought  his  aid  in  their  Latin  compositions,  and  from 
the  fact  that  half  the  love-sick  youths  of  Penzance 
employed  him  to  write  their  valentines  and  letters. 
His  lively  imagination,  strong  dramatic  power,  and  reten- 
tive memory  combined  to  make  him  a  good  story-teller, 
and  many  an  evening  was  spent  by  his  comrades 
beneath  the  balcony  of  the  Star  Inn,  in  Market  Jew 
Street,  listening  to  his  tales  of  wonder  or  horror,  gathered 
from  the  "  Arabian  Nights "  or  from  his  grandmother 
Davy,  a  Avoman  of  fervid  mind  stored  with  traditions 
and  ancient  legends,  from  whom  he  seems  to  have 
derived  much  of  his  poetic  instinct. 

Those  who  would  search  in  environment  for  the 
conditions  which  determine  mental  aptitudes,  will  find 
it  very  difficult  to  ascertain  Avhat  there  was  in  Davy's 
boyish  life  in  Penzance  to  mould  him  into  a  natural 
philosopher.  At  school  he  seems  to  have  acquired 
nothing  beyond  a  smattering  of  elementary  mathematics 
and  a  certain  facility  in  turning  Latin  into  English 
verse.  Most  of  what  he  obtained  in  the  way  of  general 
knowledge  he  picked  up  for  himself,  from  such  books  as 
he  found  in  the  library  of  his  benefactor,  Mr.  John 
Tonkin.  Dr.  John  Davy  has  left  us  a  sketch  of  the 
state  of  society  in  the  Mount's  Bay  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  which  serves  to  show  how  un- 


14  iir.Mi'iiiJV   )).\^^, 

tavKunible  wiis  tlie  soil  tor  tlic  stinuilation  and  dcvelop- 
iiionl  of  intolltvtnal  power.  Coniwall  at  that  time  had 
hut  little  eoimnercc;  and  hoyond  the  tidinjj^s  carried  by 
pedlars  or  sliip-niasters,  or  contained  in  the  SJirrhorvc 
Merntri/—thv  only  newspn]ier  which  then  circulated  m 
the  westof  Kui^dand — it  kiuu  little  or  nothing  of  what 
was  tfoint,'  on  in  the  outer  world.  Its  roads  were  mostly 
Micro  hridle-paths,  and  a  carriage  was  as  little  known  in 
IVn/.ance  as  a  camel.  There  was  only  one  carpet  in 
the  town,  the  floors  of  the  rooms  being,  as  a  rule,  sprinkled 
with  sea-sand  :  — 

"  All  ohisses  were  very  superstitious ;  even  the  belief  in  witches 
miiintained  its  ground,  and  there  was  an  almost  unbounded 
credulity  respjftiiig  the  suiiernatural  and  monstrous.  .  . 
Amongst  the  middle  and  higher  classes  there  was  little  taste  for 
literature  and  still  less  for  science,  and  their  pursuits  were 
rarely  of  a  digiiitied  or  intellectual  kind,  blunting,  shooting, 
Avrestling,  cock -fighting,  generally  ending  in  drunkenness,  were 
what  they  most  delighted  in.  Smuggling  was  carried  on  to  a 
great  extent,  and  drunkenness  and  a  low  scale  of  morals  were 
naturally  associated  with  it." 

Davy,  an  ardent,  impulsive  youth  of  strong  social 
instincts,  fond  of  excitement,  and  not  over  studious, 
seems,  now  that  he  was  released  from  the  restraint  of 
school-life,  to  have  come  nnder  the  infinence  of  snch 
surroundings.  For  nearly  a  year  he  was  restless  and 
nnsettled,  spending  much  of  his  time  like  his  father  in 
rambling  about  the  country  and  in  fishing  and  shooting, 
and  passing  from  desultory  study  to  occasional  dis- 
sipation The  death  of  his  father,  however,  made  a 
profound  impression  on  his  mind,  and  suddenly  changed 
the  whole  course  of  his  conduct.  As  the  eldest  son, 
and  approaching  manhood,  he  seems  at  once  to  have 
realised  what  w^as  due  to  his  mother  and  to  himself. 
The  circumstances  of  the  family  supplied  the  stimulus 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER. 


15 


to  exertion,  and  he  dried  his  mother's  tears  with  the 
assurance  that  he  would  do  all  in  his  power  for  his 
brothers  and  sisters.  A  few  weeks  after  the  decease 
of  his  father  he  was  apprenticed  to  Mr.  Bingham  Borlase, 
an  apothecary  and  surgeon  practising  in  Penzance,  and 
at  once  marked  out  for  himself  a  course  of  studj^  and 
self-tuition  almost  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  biography, 
and  to  which  he  adhered  with  a  strength  of  mind  and 
tenacity  of  purpose  altogether  unlooked  for  in  one  of  his 
years  and  of  his  gay  and  careless  disposition.  That  it 
was  sufficiently  ambitious  will  be  evident  from  the 
following  transcript  from  the  opening  pages  of  his 
earliest  note-book  —  a  small  quarto,  with  parchment 
covers,  dated  1795  : — 


1.  Theology, 
or  Religion, 

Ethics  or  Moral  virtues 

2.  Geography. 

3.  My  Profession. 

1.  Botany. 

2.  Pharmacy. 

3.  Nosology. 

4.  Anatomy. 

5.  Surgery. 

6.  Chemistry. 

4.  Logic. 

o.  Languages. 

1.  English. 

2.  French. 

3.  Latin. 

4.  Cireek. 

5.  Italian. 

6.  Spanish. 

7.  Hebrew. 


Jtaught  by  Nature ; 
Iby  Revelation. 

6.  Phj'sics. 

1.  The  doctrines  and  pro- 
perties of  natural  bodies. 

2.  Of   the   operations   of 

nature. 

3.  Of    the    doctrines    of 

fluids. 

4.  Of   the   properties   of 

organised  matter. 

5.  Of    the    organisation 

of  matter. 

6.  Simple  astronomy. 

7.  Mechanics. 

8.  Rhetoric  and  Oratory. 

9.  History  and  Chronology. 
10.  Mathematics. 


The  note-book  opens  with  "  Hints  Towards  the  Investi- 
gation of  Truth  in  Religious  and  Political  Opinions,  com- 
posed as  they  occurred,  to  be  placed  in  a  more  regular 


iiiiiMiK-r  luMvut'ter."  Then  follow  essays  "  On  the  Iniinor- 
talitviind  hnniatoriality  of  the  Soul  ";  "  Body,  Organised 
MaHcr'",  on  "  (lijvcrnnients  "  :  on  "The  Credulity  of 
Mortals":  "An  Kssay  to  Prove  that  the  Thinkino- 
Powers  depend  on  the  Orijanisation  of  the  Body";  "A 
I  hefencp  of  Materialism";  "An  Kssay  on  the  Ultimate 
Knd  of  lloing":  "On  lia])])iness";  "On  Moral  Obligation." 

These  early  essays  display  the  workings  of  an  original 
mind,  intent,  it  may  be.  on  ])roblems  be3'ond  its  immature 
powei-s,  but  striving  in  all  sincerity  to  work  out  its  own 
thoughts  and  to  arrive  at  its  own  conclusions.  Of  course, 
the  daring  youth  of  sixteen  who  enters  upon  an  inquiry 
into  the  most  difficult  problems  of  theology  and  meta- 
physics, with,  what  he  is  pleased  to  call,  unprejudiced 
reason  as  his  sole  guide,  quickly  passes  into  a  cold  fit 
of  materialism.  His  mind  w\as  too  impressionable,  how- 
ever, to  have  reached  the  stage  of  settled  convictions ; 
and  in  the  same  note-book  we  subsequently  find  the 
heads  of  a  train  of  argument  in  favour  of  a  rational 
religious  belief  founded  on  immaterialism. 

Metaphysical  inquiries  seem,  indeed,  to  have  occupied 
the  greater  part  of  his  time  at  this  period  ;  and  his  note- 
books show  that  he  made  himself  acquainted  with  the 
writings  of  Locke,  Hartley,  Bishop  Berkeley,  Hume,  Hel- 
vetius,  Condorcet,  and  Reid,  and  that  he  had  some  knoAv- 
Icdge  of  the  doctrines  of  Kant  and  the  Transcendentalists. 

That  he  thought  for  himself,  and  was  not  unduly 
swayed  by  authority,  is  evident  from  the  general  tenour 
of  his  notes,  and  from  the  critical  remarks  and  comments 
by  which  they  are  accompanied.  Some  of  these  are 
worth  quoting: — 

"  Science  or  knowledge  is  the  as.sociation  of  a  number  of  ideas, 
with  some  idea  or  terra  capable  of  recalling  them  to  the  mind  in 
a  certain  order." 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  17 

"  By  examining  the  phenomena  of  Nature,  a  certain  similarity 
of  effects  is  discovered.  The  business  of  science  is  to  discover 
these  effects,  and  to  refer  them  to  some  common  cause  ;  that  is 
to  generalise  ideas." 

As  his  impulsive,  ingenuous  disposition  led  him,  even 
to  the  last,  to  speak  freely  of  what  was  uppermost  in 
his  mind  at  the  moment,  Ave  may  be  sure  that  his  elders, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Tonkin,  his  good  friend  John  Tonkin,  and 
his  grandmother  Davy,  Avith  Avhom  he  was  a  great 
favourite,  as  he  was  with  most  old  people,  must  have 
been  considerably  exercised  at  times  with  the  meta- 
physical disquisitions  to  which  they  were  treated;  and 
we  can  well  imagine  that  their  patience  was  occasionally 
as  greatly  tried  as  that  of  the  worthy  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends  who  wound  up  an  argument  with  the 
remark,  "  I  tell  thee  Avhat,  Humphry,  thou  art  the  most 
quibbling  hand  at  a  dispute  I  ever  met  with  in  my  life." 
Whether  it  was  in  revenge  for  this  sally  that  the  young 
disputant  composed  the  "  Letter  on  the  Pretended  In- 
spiration of  the  Quakers  "  which  is  to  be  found  in  one 
of  his  early  note-books,  does  not  appear. 

We  easily  trace  in  these  early  essays  the  evidences 
of  that  facility  and  charm  of  expression  which  a  few 
years  later  astonished  and  delighted  his  audiences  at 
the  Royal  Institution,  and  which  remained  the  character- 
istic features  of  his  literary  style.  These  qualities  were 
in  no  small  degree  strengthened  by  his  frequent  exercises 
in  poetry.  For  Davy  had  early  tasted  of  the  Pierian 
spring,  and,  like  Pope,  nmy  be  said  to  have  lisped  in 
numbers.  At  five  he  was  an  improvisatore,  reciting 
his  rhymes  at  some  Christmas  gambols,  attired  in  a 
fanciful  dress  prepared  by  a  playful  girl  who  was  re- 
lated to  him.  That  he  had  the  divine  gift  Avas  acknoAV- 
ledged   by  no   less   an   authority   than   Coleridge,  Avho 

B 


18  HUMPHllV   DAVY, 

s;ii«l  iliut  -if  Davy  had  not  boon  the  tirst  Chemist,  he 
would  have  been  the  tirst  Poet  of  his  age."  Southey 
also,  who  knew  him  well,  said  after  his  death,  "  Davy 
wjis  IX  most  extraordinary  man  :  he  would  have  excelled 
in  any  deiurtment  of  art  or  science  to  which  he  had 
directed  the  powers  of  his  mind.  He  had  all  the 
olemonts  of  a  poet ;  he  only  wanted  the  art,  I  have 
read  some  beautiful  verses  of  his.  When  I  went  to 
Portii<j:al,  1  left  Davy  to  revise  and  publish  my  poem  of 
'  Tbal'aba.' " 

Throughout  his  life  he  was  wont,  Avhen  deeply 
moved,  to  express  his  feelings  in  verse ;  and  at  times 
even  his  prose  was  so  suffused  with  the  glow  of  poetry 
that  to  some  it  seemed  altiloqueut  and  inflated.  Some 
of  his  tirst  efforts  appeared  in  the  "  Annual  Anthology," 
a  work  printed  in  Bristol  in  1799,  and  edited  by  Southey 
and  Tobin,  and  interesting  to  the  book-hunter  as  one 
of  the  first  of  the  literary  "  Annuals  "  which  subsequently 
became  so  fashionable. 

Davy  had  an  intense  love  of  Nature,  and  nothing 
stirred  the  poetic  fire  within  him  more  than  the  sight 
of  some  sublime  natural  object  such  as  a  storm-beaten 
cliff,  a  mighty  mountain,  a  resistless  torrent,  or  some 
spectacle  which  recalled  the  power  and  majesty  of  the 
sea.  Not  that  he  was  insensible  to  the  simpler  charms 
of  pastoral  beauty,  or  incapable  of  sjnnpathy  with 
Nature  in  her  softest,  tenderest  moods.  But  these 
things  never  seemed  to  move  him  as  did  some  scene  of 
grandeur,  or  some  manifestation  of  stupendous  natural 
energy. 

The  following  hues,  written  on  Fair  Head  during 
the  summer  of  180G,  may  serve  as  an  example  of  how 
scenery  when  associated  in  his  mind  with  the  sentiments 
of  dignity  or  strength  affected  him  : — 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  19 

"  Majestic  Cliff !  Thou  birth  of  unknown  time, 
Long  had  the  billows  beat  thee,  long  the  waves 
Kush'd  o'er  thy  hoUow'd  rocks,  ere  life  adorn'd 
Thy  broken  surface,  ere  the  yellow  moss 
Had  tinted  thee,  or  the  wild  dews  of  heaven 
Clothed  thee  with  verdure,  or  the  eagles  made 
Thy  caves  their  aery.    So  in  after  time 
Long  shalt  thou  rest  unalter'd  mid  the  wreck 
Of  all  the  mightiness  of  human  works  ; 
For  not  the  lightning,  nor  the  whirlwind's  force, 
Nor  all  the  waves  of  ocean,  shall  prevail 
Against  thy  giant  strength,  and  thou  shalt  stand 
Till  the  Almighty  voice  which  bade  thee  rise 
Shall  bid  thee  fall."' 

In  spite  of  a  love-passage  which  seems  to  have 
provoked  a  succession  of  sonnets,  his  devotions  to 
CaUiope  were  by  no  means  so  unremitting  as  to  prevent 
him  from  following  the  plan  of  study  he  had  marked 
out  for  himself.  His  note-books  show  that  in  the  early 
part  of  1796  he  attacked  the  mathematics,  and  w4th 
such  ardour  that  in  little  more  than  a  year  he  had 
worked  through  a  course  of  what  he  called  "  Mathe- 
matical Rudiments,"  in  which  he  included  "  fractions, 
vulgar  and  decimal ;  extraction  of  roots  ;  algebra  (as  far 
as  quadratic  equations) ;  Euclid's  elements  of  geometry  ; 
trigonometry  ;  logarithms  ;  sines  and  tangents ;  tables  ; 
application  of  algebra  to  geometry,  etc." 

In  1797  he  began  the  study  of  natural  philosophy, 
and  towards  the  end  of  this  year,  when  he  was  close  on 
nineteen,  he  turned  his  attention  to  chemistry,  merely, 
however,  at  the  outset  as  a  branch  of  his  professional 
education,  and  with  no  other  idea  than  to  acquaint 
himself  with  its  general  principles.  His  good  fortune 
led  him  to  select  Lavoisier's  "Elements" — probably  Kerr's 
translation,  published  in  1796 — as  his  text-book.  No 
choice  could  have  been  happier;  The  book  is  well  suited 
B  2 


'20  UUMl'llUV    DAVY, 

t«»  ;i  iiiiiid  like  Davy's,  and  he  could  not  fail  to  be  im- 
pressed by  the  boldness  and  comprehensiveness  of  its 
theory,  its  admirable  lojj^ic,  and  the  clearness  and  pre- 
cision of  its  statements. 

From  reading  and  speculation  he  soon  passed  to 
experiment.  lUit  at  this  time  he  had  never  seen  a 
i-hemical  operation  performed,  and  had  little  or  no  ac- 
(piaintance  with  even  as  nnich  as  the  forms  of  chemical 
apparatus.  Phials,  wine-glasrses,  tea-cups,  and  tobacco- 
pipes,  wit  li  an  occasional  earthen  crucible,  were  all  the 
paraphernalia  he  could  conunand ;  the  common  mineral 
acids,  the  alkalis,  and  a  few  drugs  from  the  surgery 
constituted  his  stock  of  chemicals.  Of  the  nature  of 
these  early  trials  we  know  little.  It  is,  however,  almost 
certain  that  the  experiments  with  sea-weed,  described  in 
his  two  essays  "  On  Heat,  Light  and  the  Combinations 
of  bight"  and  "On  the  Generation  of  Phosoxygen  and 
the  Causes  of  the  Colours  of  Organic  Beings  "  (see  p.  30), 
were  made  at  this  time,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that 
the  experiments  on  land-plants,  Avhich  are  directly  related 
to  those  on  the  Fuci  and  are  described  in  connection 
with  them,  were  made  at  the  same  period.  That  he 
]>ursued  his  experiments  with  characteristic  ardour  is 
borne  out  by  the  testimony  of  members  of  his  family, 
particularly  by  that  of  his  sister,  who  sometimes  acted 
as  his  assistant,  and  whose  dress  too  frequently  suffered 
from  the  corrosive  action  of  his  chemicals.  The  good 
Mr.  Tonkin  and  his  Avorthy  brother,  the  Reverend  Doctor, 
were  also  from  time  to  time  abruptly  and  unexpectedly 
made  aware  of  his  zeal.  "  This  boy  Humphry  is  incor- 
rigible !  He  will  blow  us  all  into  the  air!"  were  occasional 
exclamations  heard  to  follow  the  alarming  noises  which 
now  and  then  proceeded  from  the  laboratory.  The  well- 
known  anecdote  of  the  syringe  which  had  formed  part 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  21 

of  a  case  of  instruments  of  a  shipwrecked  French 
surgeon,  and  which  Davy  had  ingeniously  converted 
into  an  air-pump,  although  related  by  Dr.  Paris  "  with 
a  minuteness  and  vivacity  worthy  of  Defoe,"  is,  in  all 
probability,  apocryphal.  Nor  has  Lord  Brougham's  story, 
that  his  devotion  to  chemical  experiments  and  "  his  dis- 
like to  the  shop  "  resulted  in  a  disagreement  with  his 
master,  and  that  "  he  went  to  another  in  the  same 
place,"  where  "  he  continued  in  the  same  course,"  any 
surer  foundation  in  fact. 

Two  or  three  circumstances  conduced  to  develop 
Davy's  taste  for  scientific  pursuits,  and  to  extend  his 
opportunities  for  observation  and  experiment.  One  was 
his  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Gregory  Watt ;  another  was 
his  introduction  to  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert  (then  Mr.  Davies 
Giddy),  a  Cornish  gentleman  of  wealth  and  position, 
who  lived  to  succeed  him  in  the  presidential  chair  of 
the  Royal  Society. 

Gregory  Watt,  the  son  of  James  Watt,  the  engineer, 
by  his  second  marriage,  was  a  young  man  of  singular 
promise  who,  had  he  lived,  would — if  we  may  judge 
from  his  paper  in  the  Philosophical  Transact  ions — have 
almost  certainly  acquired  a  distinguished  position  in 
science.  Of  a  weakly,  consumptive  habit,  he  was  ordered 
to  spend  the  winter  of  1797  in  Penzance,  where  he 
lodged  with  Mrs.  Davy,  boarding  with  the  family. 
Young  Watt  was  about  two  years  older  than  Davy,  and 
had  just  left  the  University  of  Glasgow,  "his  mind 
enriched  beyond  his  age  with  science  and  literature, 
with  a  spirit  above  the  little  vanities  and  distinctions 
of  the  world,  devoted  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge." 
He  remained  in  Penzance  until  the  following  spring,  and 
by  his  example,  and  by  the  generous  friendship  which 
he  extended  towards  him,  he  developed  and  strengthened 


22  iir.Mi'jiitv  DAW, 

Davy's  resolve  to  (Icvoto  liiinself  to  science.  Davy's 
inlrodiution  lo  Mr.  (;ill)ort,  "  a  man  older  than  himself, 
witii  ronsiderable  knowledge  of  science  generally,  and 
with  the  advantages  of  a  University  education,"  was  also 
a  most  timtly  and  propitious  circumstance.  According 
to  |)r.  rnris— 

'•  .Mr.  ( iillu'rt'.saltciitnui  was  attnicteil  to  the  future  idiilosopher, 
a.s  he  was  caii'lf.s.sly  swin.iiing  over  the  hatch,  or  lialf-gate,  of  Mr. 
Horla-se's  hou.so,  l>y  tlie  liumoroiis  contortions  into  whicli  he  threw 
his  features.  Davy  it  may  l)e  reniarkiHl,  when  a  boy,  pos.ses.sed  a 
countenance  whidi  even  in  its  natural  state  was  very  far  from 
comely  ;  while  liis  round  shouUler.s,  inharmonious  voice  and  in- 
signiticant  manner,  were  calculated  to  produce  anything  rather 
tlinn  a  favourable  impression  :  in  riper  years,  he  was  what  might 
l>c  called  'good-looking,'  altlniugh  as  a  wit  of  the  day  observed, 
hi.s  as|>ect  was  certainly  of  the  '  bucolic  '  character.  The  change 
which  his  person  underwent,  after  his  ])romotion  to  the  Eoyal 
Institution,  was  so  rapid  that  in  the  days  of  Herodotus,  it  would 
have  been  attributed  to  nothing  le.ss  than  the  miraculous  inter- 
position of  the  Priestesses  of  Helen.  A  person,  who  happened  to 
be  walking  with  Mr.  (Gilbert  upon  the  occasion  alluded  to,  observed 
that  the  extraordinary  looking  l)oy  in  question  was  young  Davy, 
the  carver's  son,  who,  he  added,  was  said  to  be  fond  of  making 
chemical  experiments." 

Mr.  (Jilbert  was  thus  led  to  interest  himself  in  the 
boy,  wdiom  he  invited  to  his  house  at  Tredrea,  offering 
him  the  use  of  his  library,  and  such  other  assistance  in 
his  studies  as  he  could  render.  On  one  occasion  he  was 
taken  over  to  the  Hayle  Copper-House,  and  had  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  a  well-appointed  laboratory  : 

"The  tumultuous  delight  which  Davy  expressed  on  seeing,  for 
the  first  time,  a  ([uantity  of  chemical  apparatus,  hitherto  only 
known  to  him  through  the  medium  of  engravings,  is  described  by 
Mr.  Gilbert  as  surpa-ssing  all  description.  The  air-pump  more 
csjiecially  fixed  his  attention,  and  he  worked  its  piston,  exhausted 
the  receiver,  and  opened  its  valve.s,  with  the  siniplicity  and  joy  of 
a  child  engaged  in  the  examination  of  a  new  and  favourite  toy." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  23 

It  has  alread}"  been  stated  that  in  the  outset  Dav}^ 
attacked  science  as  he  did  metaphysics,  approaching  it 
from  the  purely  theoretical  side.  As  might  be  surmised, 
his  love  of  speculation  quickly  found  exercise  for  itself, 
and  within  four  months  of  his  introduction  to  the  study 
of  science  he  had  conceived  and  elaborated  a  new 
hypothesis  on  the  nature  of  heat  and  light,  which  he 
communicated  to  Dr.  Beddoes. 

Dr.  Thomas  Beddoes  was  by  training  a  medical  man, 
who  in  various  ways  had  striven  to  make  a  name  for 
himself  in  science.  He  is  known  to  the  chemical  biblio- 
grapher as  the  translator  of  the  Chemical  Essays  of 
Scheele,  and  at  one  time  occupied  the  Chair  of  Chemis- 
try at  Oxford.  The  geological  world  at  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century  regarded  him  as  a  zealous  and  un- 
compromising Plutonist.  His  character  was  thus  de- 
scribed by  Davy,  who  in  the  last  year  of  his  life  jotted 
down,  in  the  form  of  brief  notes,  his  reminiscences  of 
some  of  the  more  remarkable  men  of  his  acquaintance  :— 

"  Beddoes  was  reserved  in  manner  and  ahnost  dry  ;  but  his 
countenance  was  very  agreeable.  He  was  cold  in  conversation, 
and  apparently  much  occupied  with  his  own  peculiar  views  and 
theories.  Nothing  could  be  a  stronger  contrast  to  his  apparent 
coldness  in  discussion  than  his  wild  and  active  imagination, 
which  was  as  poetical  as  Darwin's.  .  .  .  On  his  deathbed 
he  wrote  me  a  most  affecting  letter,  regretting  his  scientific 
aberrations." 

One  of  Dr.  Beddoes 's  "  scientific  aberrations  "  was  the 
inception  and  establishment  of  the  Pneumatic  Institution, 
which  he  founded  with  a  view  of  studying  the  medicinal 
effects  of  the  different  gases,  in  the  sanguine  hope  that 
powerful  remedies  might  be  found  amongst  them.  The 
Institution,  which  was  supported  wholly  by  subscription, 
was  to  be  provided  with  all  the  means  likely  to  promote 


24  lll'MIMIKV     DAVY, 

its   (»bjects— a    hospital    tor   patients,   a   laboratory   for 
oxporiinental  research,  and  a  theatre  for  lecturing. 

In  scckint,'  for  a  person  to  take  charge  of  the  labora- 
tory, l>r.  Heddoes  bethought  him  of  Davy,  who  had  been 
reconunended  to  him  by  Mr.  Gilbert.  In  a  letter  dated 
July  4thk  170.S,  Dr.  Ik^ldoes  thus  writes  to  Mr.  Gilbert:— 

"I  am  f;la(l  that  Mr.  I  )avy  has  impre.ssed  you  as  he  has  me. 
I  have  U)iig  wished  to  write  to  you  about  him,  for  I  think  I  can 
o|)en  a  more  fruitful  field  of  investigation  than  any  body  else. 
I.s  it  not  also  liis  most  direct  road  to  fortune  1  Should  he  not 
liriiiu  out  a  favourable  result  he  may  still  exhibit  talents  for 
inve.stigatiun,  and  entitle  himself  to  piiblic  confidence  more 
effectually  than  by  any  other  mode.  He  must  be  maintained, 
but  the  fund  will  not  furnish  a  salary  from  wlncli  a  man  can 
lay  up  anything.  He  nuist  also  devote  his  time  for  two  or 
three  years  to  the  investigation.  I  wish  you  would  converse 
witli  him  upon  the  subject.  .  .  .  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  at  this 
moniiMit  specify  a  yearly  sum,  nor  can  I  say  wdth  certainty 
whether  all  the  subscriber.^  will  accede  to  my  plan  ;  most  of  them 
will,  I  doulit  not.  I  have  written  to  the  principal  ones,  and  will 
lose  no  time  in  sounding  them  all." 

A  fortnight  later,  Dr.  Beddoes   again  wrote  to  Mr. 
Gilbert  :— 

"  I  have  received  a  letter  froiu  Mr.  Davy  since  I  wrote  to 
you.  He  has  oftener  than  once  mentioned  a  genteel  maintenance, 
a.s  a  preliminary  to  his  lieing  employed  to  superintend  the 
Pneumatic  Hositital.  1  fear  the  funds  will  not  allow  an  ample 
.salary ;  he  must  however  be  maintained.  I  can  attach  no  idea 
to  the  epithet  r/entee/,  but  perhaps  all  difficulties  would  vanish 
in  conversation  ;  at  least  I  think  your  conversing  with  jNIr.  Davy 
will  he  a  more  likely  way  of  smoothing  difficulties  than  our  corre- 
spondence. It  appears  to  me,  that  this  appointment  will  bear 
to  be  considered  as  a  part  of  Mr.  Davy's  medical  education, 
and  that  it  will  be  a  great  saving  of  expense  to  him.  It  may 
also  be  the  foundation  of  a  lucrative  reputation  ;  and  certainly 
nothing  on  my  part  shall  be  w^anting  to  secure  to  him  the  credit 
he  may  de.serse.     He  does  not  undertake   to  discover  cures^for 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  25 

this  or  that  disease  ;  he  may  acquire  just  applause  by  bringing 
out  clear,  though  negative  results.  During  my  journeys  into 
the  country  I  have  picked  up  a  variety  of  important  and  curious 
facts  from  different  practitioners.  This  has  suggested  to  me  the 
idea  of  collecting  and  publishing  such  facts  as  this  part  of  the 
country  will  from  time  to  time  afford.  Jf  I  could  procure  chemical 
experiments  that  bore  any  relation  to  organised  nature,  I  would 
insert  them.  Jf  Mr.  Davy  does  not  dislike  this  method  of 
publishing  his  experiments  I  would  gladly  place  them  at  the 
head  of  my  first  volume,  but  I  wish  not  that  he  should  make 
any  sacrifice  of  judgment  or  inclination." 

Thanks  to  Mr.  Gilbert,  the  negotiation  was  brought 
to  a  successful  issue.  Mrs.  Da,\y  yielded  to  her  son's 
wishes,  and  Mr.  Borlase  surrendered  his  indenture,  on 
the  back  of  which  he  wrote  that  he  released  him  from 
"  all  engagements  Avhatever  on  account  of  his  excellent 
behaviour  " ;  adding,  "  because  being  a  youth  of  great 
promise,  I  would  not  obstruct  his  present  pursuits,  which 
are  likely  to  promote  his  fortune  and  his  fame."  The 
only  one  of  his  friends  who  disapproved  of  the  scheme 
was  his  old  benefactor,  Mr.  John  Tonkin,  who  had  hoped 
to  have  established  Davy  in  his  native  town  as  a  surgeon. 
Mr.  Tonkin  was  so  irritated  at  the  failure  of  his  plans 
that  he  altered  his  will,  and  revoked  the  legacy  of  his 
house,  which  he  had  bequeathed  to  him. 


26 


CHAITKR    II. 

TIIK    I-XKI'MATIC   INSTITUTION,   milSTOL,    1708-1801. 

On  Octohcr  2ih1,  17I).s,  Davy  set  out  lor  Clifton  with  such 
hooks  and  apparatus  as  he  po.sscssed,  and  the  MSS.  of 
his  essays  on  Heat  and  Light  safely  stoAved  away  among 
his  haggage.  He  was  in  the  highest  spirits,  and  full  of 
confidence  in  the  future.  On  his  way  through  Oke- 
hanipton  he  met  the  London  coach  decked  with  laurels 
and  ribbons,  and  bringing  the  news  of  Nelson's  victory  of 
the  Nile,  which  he  interpreted  as  a  happy  omen.  A  few 
days  after  his  arrival,  he  thus  wrote  to  his  mother:  — 

"October  Uth,  1798.     Clifton. 

"Mv  DKAR  MoTHKi;,— I  have  now  a  little  leisure  time,  and 
I  am  iiliout  to  employ  it  in  the  pleasing  occupation  of  com- 
municating to  you  an  account  of  all  the  new  and  wonderful 
events  that  have  happened  to  me  since  my  departure. 

"I  sujipose  you  received  my  letter,  written  in  a  great  hurry 
last  Sunday,  informing  you  of  niy  safe  arrival  and  kind  reception. 
1  must  now  give  you  a  more  particular  account  of  Clifton,  the 
jtlace  of  my  residence,  and  of  my  new  friends  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
J'eddoes  and  their  family. 

"  Clifton  is  situated  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  commanding  a  view 
of  Bristol  and  its  neighbourhood,  conveniently  elevHted  above 
the  dirt  and  noise  of  the  city.  Here  are  houses,  rocks,  woods, 
town  and  country  in  one  small  spot ;  and  beneath  us,  the  sweetly- 
flowing  Avon,  so  celebrated  by  the  poets.  Indeed  there  can 
hardly  be  a  more  beautiful  spot ;  it  almost  rivals  Penzance  and 
the  Vjeauties  of  Mount's  Bay. 

"  Our  house  is  capacious  and  handsome ;  my  rooms  are  very 
large,  nice  and  convenient ;  and,  al)ove  all,  I  have  an  excellent 
laboratory.     Now  for  the   inhabitants,  and,  first,  Dr.  Beddoes, 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  27 

who,  between  you  and  me,  is  one  of  the  most  original  men  I  ever 
saw — uncommonly  short  and  fat,  with  little  elegance  of  manneis, 
and  nothing  characteristic  externally  of  genius  or  science ; 
extremely  silent,  and  in  a  few  words,  a  very  bad  companion. 
His  behaviour  to  me,  however,  has  been  jiarticularly  handsome. 
He  has  paid  me  the  highest  comi)liments  on  my  discoveries, 
and  has,  in  fact,  become  a  convert  to  my  theory,  which  I  little 
expected.  He  has  given  up  to  me  the  whole  of  the  business 
of  the  Pneumatic  Hospital,  and  has  sent  to  the  editor  of  the 
Monthly  Magazine  a  letter,  to  be  ])ublished  in  November,  in 
which  I  have  the  honour  to  be  mentioned  in  the  highest  terms. 
Mrs.  Beddoes  is  the  reverse  of  Dr.  Beddoes— extremely  cheerful, 
gay  and  witty  ;  she  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  women  I  have 
ever  met  with.  With  a  cultivated  understanding  and  an  excellent 
heart,  she  combines  an  uncommon  simplicity  of  manners.  We  are 
already  very  great  friends.  She  has  taken  me  to  see  all  the  fine 
scenery  about  Clifton ;  for  the  Doctor,  from  his  occupations  and 
his  bulk,  is  unable  to  walk  much.  In  the  house  are  two  sons 
and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Lambton,  very  fine  children,  from  five  to 
thirteen  years  of  age. 

"  I  have  visited  Mr.  Hare,  one  of  the  principal  subscribers  to 
the  Pneumatic  Hospital,  who  treated  me  with  great  politeness. 
I  am  now  very  much  engaged  in  considering  of  the  erection  of 
the  Pneumatic  Hospital,  and  the  mode  of  conducting  it.  I  shall 
go  down  to  Birmingham  to  see  Mr.  Watt  and  Mr.  Keir  in  about 
a  fortnight,  where  I  shall  probably  remain  a  week  or  ten  days  ; 
but  before  then  you  will  again  hear  from  me.  We  are  just  going 
to  print  at  Cottle's ;  in  Bristol,  so  that  my  time  will  be 
much  taken  up  the  ensuing  fortnight  in  preparations  for  the 
press.  The  theatre  for  lecturing  is  not  yet  open  ;  but,  if  I  can 
get  a  large  room  in  Bristol,  and  subscribers,  I  intend  to  give  a 
course  of  chemical  lectures,  as  Dr.  Beddoes  seems  much  to 
wish  it. 

"  My  journey  up  was  uncommonly  pleasant ;  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  travel  all  the  way  with  acquaintances.  I  came  into 
Exeter  in  a  most  joyful  time,  the  celebration  of  Nelson's  victory. 
The  town  was  beautifully  illuminated,  and  the  inhabitants  loyal 
and  happy    .     .    . 

"It  will  give  you  pleasure  when  I  inform  you  that  all  my 
expectations  are  answered  and  that  ray  situation  is  just  what  I 


2,S  HLIMI'IIUV    DAW, 

couKl  wisli.  I'lit.  for  all  tliis,  T  very  often  think  of  Penzance  and 
my  friends,  with  a  wish  to  be  there  ;  however  that  time  will 
conu'.  \\'o  are  scnne  time  before  we  become  accustomed  to  new 
modes  of  living  and  new  iie(|Uaintances. 

"  Believe  me,  your  affectionate  son, 
"  IluMi'iiRY   Davy," 

Mrs,  Heddoos,  of  whom  Davy  speaks  in  such  appre- 
ciative terms,  was  one  of  the  many  sisters  of  Maria 
Kd'j^owortli.  She  seems  to  have  possessed  much  of  the 
iuteUlLjence,  wit,  vivacity,  and  sunny  humour  of  the 
accom[)lished  authoress  of  "  Castle  Rackrent  "  ;  and,  by 
her  charm  of  manner  and  her  many  social  gifts,  to  have 
made  her  luisband's  house  the  centre  of  the  literary  and 
intellectual  life  of  C'lifton.  Thanks  to  her  influence, 
Davy  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  brought  into  contact, 
at  the  very  outset  of  his  career,  with  Southey,  Coleridge, 
the  Tobins,  Miss  Edgeworth,  and  other  notable  literary 
men  and  women  of  his  time,  with  many  of  whom  he 
established  firm  and  enduring  friendships.  He  had 
always  a  sincere  admiration  for  his  fair  patroness,  and 
a  grateful  memory  of  her  many  acts  of  kindness  to  him 
at  this  period  of  his  life.  That  she  in  turn  had  an 
esteem  amounting  to  affection  for  the  gifted  youth  is 
evident  from  the  language  of  tender  feeling  and  warm 
regard  in  which  her  letters  to  him  are  expressed. 
The  sonnets  accompanying  these  letters  are  couched 
in  terms  which  admit  of  no  doubt  of  the  strength  of 
her  sentiments  of  sympathy  and  admiration,  and  some 
of  the  best  efforts  of  his  muse  were  addressed  to  her 
in  return. 

His  work  and  prospects  at  the  Pneumatic  Institution 
are  sufficiently  indicated  in  the  following  letter  to  his 
friend  and  patron,  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert,  written  five  weeks 
after  his  arrival  at  Clifton  : — 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  29 

"  Clifton,  November  12,  1798. 

"  Dear  Sir, — I  have  purposely  delayed  writing  until  I  could 
communicate  to  you  some  intelligence  of  importance  concerning 
the  Pneumatic  Institution.  The  speedy  execution  of  the  plan 
will,  I  think,  interest  you  both  as  a  subscriber  and  a  friend  to 
science  and  mankind.  The  present  subscription  is,  we  suppose 
nearly  adequate  to  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  medicinal 
powers  of  factitious  airs  ;  it  still  continues  to  increase,  and  we 
may  hope  for  the  ability  of  pursuing  the  investigation  to  its  full 
extent.  We  are  negotiating  for  a  house  in  Dowrie  Square,  the 
proximity  of  which  to  Bristol,  and  its  general  situation  and 
advantages,  render  it  very  suitable  to  the  purpose.  The  funds 
will,  I  suppose,  enable  us  to  provide  for  eight  or  ten  patients  in 
the  hospital,  and  for  as  many  out  of  it  as  we  can  procure. 

'  We  shall  try  the  gases  in  every  possible  way.  They  may  be 
condensed  by  pressure  and  rarefied  by  heat.  Quere, — Would  not 
a  powerful  injecting  syringe  furnished  with  two  valves,  one  open- 
ing into  an  air-holder  and  the  other  into  the  breathing  chamber, 
answer  the  purpose  of  compression  better  than  any  other 
apparatus  ?  Can  you  not,  from  your  extensive  stores  of 
philosophy,  furnish  us  with  some  hints  on  this  subject  ?  May  not 
the  non-respirable  gases  furnish  a  class  of  different  stimuli  ?  of 
which  the  oxy-muriatic  acid  gas  [chlorine]  would  stand  the 
highest,  if  we  may  judge  from  its  effects  on  the  lungs  ;  then, 
i^robably,  gaseous  oxi/d  of  azote  [nitrous  oxide  ?]  and  hydro- 
carbonate  [the  gases  obtained  by  passing  steam  over  red-hot 
charcoal]. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  not  heard  of  the  discovery  of  the  native 
sulphate  of  strontian  in  England.  I  shall  perhaps  surprise  you 
by  stating  that  we  have  it  in  large  quantities  here.  It  had  long 
been  mistaken  for  sxdphate  of  harytes,  till  our  friend  Clayfield, 
on  endeavouring  to  procure  the  muriate  of  barytes  from  it  by 
decomposition,  detected  the  strontian.  We  opened  a  fine  vein 
of  it  about  a  fortnight  ago  at  the  Old  Passage  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Severn.*    .... 

"  We  are  printing  in  Bristol  the  first  volume  of  the  '  West 

*  Cf.  An  account  of  several  veins  of  Sulphate  of  Strontites,  found  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Bristol,  with  an  Analysis  of  the  different  varieties. 
By  W.  Clayfield.     "  Nicholson's  Journ.,"  III.,  1800,  pp.  36-41. 


30  HUMriiUY    DAVY, 

I 'omit  ry  Collection,'  whicli  will,  1  suppose,  be  out  in  the  begin- 

iiin;;  i>f  January. 

"  Mrs.  Heddocs    ....     is  as  good,  amiable, and  elegant  as 

when  v<>u  saw  her. 

"  iielicve  mc,  dear  Sir,  with  affection  and  respect,  truly  yours, 

"Humphry  Davy." 

Tho  work  alluded  to  in  this  letter  made  its  appearance 
ill  tho  early  part  of  1799,  under  the  title  of  "  Contribu- 
tions to  Physical  and  Medical  Knowledge,  principally 
from  the  West  of  England;  collected  by  Thomas 
Ikddoes,  M.D."  The  lirst  half  of  the  volume,  in 
accordance  with  the  editor's  promise,  is  occupied  by 
two  essays  from  Davy  :  the  tirst  "  On  Heat,  Light,  and 
the  Combinations  of  Light,  with  a  new  Theory  of 
Respiration "  ;  the  second  "  On  the  Generation  of 
riiosoxygen  (Oxygen  Gas),  and  on  the  Causes  of  the 
Colours  of  Organic  lyings." 

To  the  student  these  essays  have  no  other  interest 
than  is  due  to  the  fact  that  they  are  Davy's  first  con- 
tribution to  the  literature  of  science.  No  beginning 
could  be  more  inauspicious.  It  is  the  first  step  that 
costs,  and  Davy's  first  step  had  well  nigh  cost  him  all 
that  he  lived  for.  As  additions  to  knowledge  they  are 
worthless ;  indeed,  a  stern  critic  might  with  justice 
characterise  them  in  much  stronger  language.  Nowa- 
days such  writings  would  hopelessly  damn  the  reputa- 
tion of  any  young  aspirant  for  scientific  fame,  for  it 
is  indeed  difficult  to  believe,  as  we  read  paragraph  after 
paragraph,  that  their  author  had  any  real  conception 
of  science,  or  that  he  was  capable  of  understanding  the 
need  or  appreciating  the  value  of  scientific  evidence. 

The  essays  are  partly  experimental,  partly  specula- 
tive, and  the  author  apparently  would  have  us  believe 
that  the   speculations   are   entirely  subservient  to   and 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  31 

dependent  on  the  experiments.  Precisely  the  opjiosite 
is  the  case.  Davy's  work  had  its  origin  in  Lavoisier's 
"  Traite  Elementaire,"  ahnost  the  only  text-book  of 
chemistry  he  possessed.  Lavoisier  taught,  in  conformity 
with  the  doctrine  of  his  time,  that  heat  was  a  material 
substance,  and  that  oxygen  Avas  essentially  a  compound 
body,  composed  of  a  simple  substance  associated  with 
the  matter  of  heat,  or  caloric.  The  young  novitiate  puts 
on  his  metaphysical  shield  and  buckler  ;  and  with  the 
same  jaunty  self-confidence  that  he  assailed  Locke  and 
criticised  Berkeley,  enters  the  lists  against  this  doctrine, 
determined,  as  he  told  Gregory  Watt,  "  to  demolish  the 
French  theory  in  half  an  hour." 

After  a  few  high-sounding  but  somewhat  disconnected 
introductory  sentences,  and  a  complimentary  allusion  to 
"  the  theories  of  a  celebrated  medical  philosopher.  Dr. 
Beddoes,"  he  proceeds  to  put  Lavoisier's  question,  "  La 
lumiere,  est-elle  une  modification  du  calorique,  ou  bien 
le  calorique  est-il  une  modification  de  la  lumiere  ? "  to 
the  test  of  experiment.  This  he  does  by  repeating 
Hawksbee's  old  experiment  of  snapping  a  gunlock  "  armed 
with  an  excellent  flint  "  in  an  exhausted  receiver.  The 
experiment  fails  in  his  hands ;  such  phenomena  as  he 
observes  he  misinterprets,  and  he  at  once  concludes  that 
light  and  heat  have  nothing  essentially  in  common. 
"  Nor  can  light  be  as  some  philosophers  suppose,  a 
vibration  of  the  imaginary  fluid  ether.  For  even  grant- 
ing the  existence  of  this  fluid  it  must  be  present  in  the 
exhausted  receiver  as  well  as  in  atmosj)heric  air  ;  and  if 
light  is  a  vibration  of  this  fluid,  generated  by  collision 
between  flint  and  steel  in  atmospheric  air,  it  should 
likewise  be  produced  in  the  exhausted  receiver,  where 
a  greater  quantity  of  ether  is  present,  which  is  not  the 
case."     Since,  then,  it  is  neither  an  efleet  of  caloric  nor  of 


32  HUMPHRY   DAVY, 

an  ethereal  tluid,  and  "as  the  impulse  of  a  material  body 
on  the  orij^an  of  vision  is  essential  to  the  generation  of 
a  sensation,  lujlif  is  consequevtly  maifer  of  a iwcvliar 
kiml,  capable  when  moving  through  space  with  the 
greatest  velocity,  of  becoming  the  source  of  a  numerous 
class  of  our  sensations." 

Hy  experiments,  faultless  in  principle  but  wholly 
imperfect  in  execution,  he  next  seeks  to  show  that 
ealoric,  or  the  matter  of  heat,  has  no  existence.  His 
reasoning  is  clear,  and  his  conceptions  have  the  merit 
of  ingenuity,  but  any  real  acquaintance  with  the  con- 
ditions under  which  the  experiments  were  made  would 
have  convinced  him  that  the  results  were  untrustworthy 
and  equivocal ;  and  yet,  in  spite  of  the  dubious  character 
of  his  observations,  he  arrived  at  a  theory  of  the  essential 
nature  of  heat  which  is  in  accord  with  our  present 
convictions,  and  Avhich  he  states  in  the  following 
terms : — 

"  Heat,  or  that  power  wliicli  i)revents  the  actual  contact  of 
the  corpuscle.s  of  bodies,  and  which  is  the  cause  of  our  peculiar 
sensations  of  heat  and  cold,  may  be  defined  a  peculiar  motion, 
probal)ly  a  vibration,  of  the  corpuscles  of  liodies,  tending  to 
separate  them." 

This  conception  of  the  nature  of  heat  did  not,  of 
course,  originate  with  him,  and  it  was  a  question  with 
his  contemporaries  how  far  he  was  influenced  by 
Rumford's  work  and  teaching.  On  this  point  Dr. 
ISeddoes's  testimony  is  direct  and  emphatic.     He  says  : — 

"  The  author  [Davy]  derived  no  assistance  whatever  from  the 
Count's  ingenious  labours.  My  first  knowledge  of  him  arose  from 
a  letter  written  in  April  1798,  containing  an  account  of  his  re- 
.•>earche3  on  heat  and  light ;  and  his  first  knowledge  of  Count 
llumford's  i)aper  was  conveyed  by  my  answer.  The  two  Essays 
ontain  proofs  enough  of  an  original  mind  to  make  it  credible 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  S-S 

that  the  simple  and  decisive  expei-iments  on  heat  were  indepen- 
dently conceived.  Nor  is  it  necessary,  in  excuse  or  in  praise  of 
his  system,  to  add,  that,  at  the  time  it  was  formed,  the  author  was 
under  twenty  years  of  age,  pupil  to  a  surgeon -apothecary,  in  the 
most  remote  town  of  Cornwall,  with  little  access  to  philosophical 
books,  and  none  at  all  to  philosophical  men." 

Having  thus,  with  Beddoes,  expunged  caloric  from 
his  chemical  system,  Davy  proceeds  to  elevate  the 
matter  of  light  into  its  place.  According  to  Lavoisier 
oxygen  gas  was  a  compound  of  a  simple  substance  and 
caloric ;  Davy  seeks  to  show  that  it  is  a  compound  of  a 
simple  substance  and  light.  He  objects  to  the  use  of 
the  word  "  gas,"  since,  according  to  French  doctrine,  it 
is  to  be  taken  as  implying  not  merely  a  state  of  aggrega- 
tion but  a  combination  of  caloric  with  another  substance, 
and  suggests  therefore  that  what  was  called  oxygen 
gas  should  henceforth  be  known  as  'pliosoxygen.  His 
"  proofs  "  that  oxygen  is  really  a  compound  of  a  simple 
substance  with  "  matter  in  a  peculiar  state  of  existence  " 
are  perhaps  the  most  futile  that  could  be  imagined. 
Charcoal,  phosphorus,  sulphur,  hydrogen,  and  zinc  were 
caused  to  burn  in  oxygen ;  ligld  was  evolved,  oxides 
were  formed,  and  a  deficiency  of  weight  was  in  each 
case  observed.  He  regrets,  however,  that  he  "  possessed 
no  balance  sufficiently  accurate  to  determine  exactly  the 
deficiency  of  weight  from  the  light  liberated  in  different 
combustive  processes." 

"  From  these  experiments,  it  appears  that  in  the  chemical 
process  of  the  formation  of  many  oxyds  and  acids,  light  is  liberated, 
the  phosoxygen  and  combustible  base  consumed,  and  a  new  body 
formed.  .  .  .  Since  light  is  liberated  in  these  processes,  it  is 
evident  that  it  must  be  liberated  either  from  the  phosoxygen  or 
from  the  combustible  body.  ...  If  the  light  liberated  in  combus- 
tion be  supposed  (according  to  Macquer's  and  Button's  theories) 
to  arise  from  the  combustible  body,  then  phosoxygen  must  be 
e 


34  111   MrilKV    DAW, 

considoretl  us  a  siiniile  .siil»stance  ;  and  it  follows  on  tliis  sup- 
port ion,  tliat  whenever  iili()S()xyf,'en  combines  witli  combustible 
bixlies,  either  tlirectly  or  by  attrartion  truni  any  of  its  combina- 
tions, light  must  be  liberated,  which  is  not  the  case,  as  carbon 
iron  and  many  other  substances,  may  be  oxydated  by  the  de- 
composition of  water  witlu)ut  the  liberation  of  light." 

|)jivv  is  here  on  the  horns  of  a  dilcnima,  but  he 
ij^iiores  the  ditliculty,  and,  with  characteristic  "  flcxibiHty 
of  adaptation,"  proceeds  to  otter  synthetical  proofs  "  that 
the  presence  of  h_i,dit  is  absokitely  essential  to  the  pro- 
duction of  phosoxygen."  The  character  of  the  "proofs" 
is  surticiently  indicated  by  the  following  extracts: — 

"  When  ])ure  oxyd  of  lead  is  heated  as  much  as  possible, 
included  from  light,  it  remains  unaltered  ;  but  when  exposed  to 
the  light  of  a  burning-glass,  or  even  of  a  candle,  phosoxygen  is 
generated  and  the  metal  revivified." 

"Oxygenated  nmriatic  acid  [chlorine]  is  a  compound  of 
muriatic  acid,  oxygen  and  light,  as  will  be  hereafter  proved. 
The  combined  light  is  not  sufficient  to  attract  the  oxygen  from 
the  base  [muriatic  acid]  to  form  phosoxygen ;  but  its  attraction 
for  oxygen  renders  the  [oxygenated  nmriatic]  acid  decomposable. 
If  this  acid  be  heated  in  a  close  vessel  and  light  excluded  no 
phosoxygen  is  formed  ;  but  if  it  be  exposed  to  the  solar  light, 
phosoxygen  is  formed  ;  the  acid  loses  its  oxygen  and  light  and 
becomes  muriatic  acid." 

"  A  plant  of  Arenaria  Tenuifolia  planted  in  a  pot  filled  with 
very  dry  earth,  was  inserted  in  carbonic  acid,  under  mercury. 
The  apparatus  was  exposed  to  the  solar  light,  for  four  days 
succe.ssively,  in  the  month  of  July.  By  this  time  the  mercury 
had  ascended  considerably.  The  gas  in  the  vessel  was  now 
measured.  There  was  a  deficiency  of  one-sixth  of  the  whole 
quantity.  After  the  carbonic  acid  was  taken  up  by  potash,  the 
remaining  quantity,  equal  to  one-.seventh  of  the  whole,  was^V^o.s- 
oxijfjm  almost  jmre.  From  this  experiment,  it  is  evident  that 
carbonic  acid  is  decomposed  by  two  attractions  ;  that  of  the 
vegetable  for  carbon  and  of  light  for  oxygen  :  the  caibon  com- 
bines with  the  i»lant,  and  the  light  and  oxygen  combined  are 
liberated  in  the  form  of  phosoxygen." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  35 

The  accounts  which  Davy  gives  of  his  experiments, 
as  well  as  of  the  phenomena  which  he  professes  to  have 
observed,  may  awaken  an  uneasy  doubt  as  to  his  absolute 
integrity  ;  for,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  point  out,  he 
could  not  possibly  have  obtained  the  results  which  he 
describes.  The  presence  or  absence  of  light  in  no  wise 
affects  the  decomposition  by  heat  of  minium ;  chlorine, 
as  he  himself  subsequently  established,  contains  no 
oxygen  ;  and  a  plant  is  incapable  of  decomposing  pure 
undiluted  carbonic  acid,  even  in  the  brightest  sunshine. 
But  the  work  of  a  youth  of  nineteen,  imaginative, 
sanguine,  and  impetuous,  with  no  training  as  an  ex- 
perimentalist, and  with  only  a  limited  access  to  scientific 
memoirs,  cannot  be  judged  by  too  severe  a  canon.  The 
faculty  of  self-deception,  even  in  the  largest  and  most 
receptive  minds,  often  in  those  of  matured  power  and 
ripened  experience,  is  boundless.  Davy  himself  affords 
an  exemplification  of  the  truth  of  his  own  words, 
Avritten  years  afterwards  :  "  The  human  mind  is  always 
governed  not  by  what  it  knows,  but  by  Avhat  it  believes ; 
not  by  what  it  is  capable  of  attaining,  but  by  what  it 
desires." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  show  how  the  presumptuous 
youth  drove  his  hobby  with  all  the  reckless  daring  of  a 
Phieton.  Phlogiston  and  oxygen  had  in  turn  been  the 
central  conceptions  of  theories  of  chemistry;  phos- 
oxygen  was  to  supplant  them.  It  was  to  explain  every- 
thing— the  blue  colour  of  the  sky,  the  electric  fluid, 
the  Aurora  Borealis,  the  phenomena  of  fiery  meteors, 
the  green  of  the  leaf,  the  red  of  the  rose,  and  the  sable 
hue  of  the  Ethiopian ;  perception,  thought,  and  happi- 
ness ;  and  why  women  are  fairer  than  men.  But 
Jupiter,  in  the  shape  of  a  Reviewer,  soon  hurled  the 
adventurous  boy  from,  the  giddy  heights  to  which  he 
c  2 


86  HrMPHRY    DAW, 

hftd  soi\ro(l.  The  ■  West  C/Ountry  Collection  "  received 
scant  syinimthy  lioiii  the  critics,  and  the  phosoxygen 
tlioory  was  either  mercilessly  ridicnled,  or  treated  with 
coiitoinpt. 

Thi're  is  no  doubt  that  Davy  keenly  i'clt  the  posi- 
tion in  which  he  now  stood.  His  pride  was  humbled, 
and  the  humiliation  was  as  gall  and  wormwood. 
The  vision  of  fame  which  his  ardour  had  conjured  up 
on  ihf  top  of  the  Bristol  coach — was  it  all  a  baseless 
fabric,  and  its  train  of  honours  and  emoluments  an 
insubstantial  pageant  ^  All  he  could  plead  was  that  his 
critics  had  not  understood  that  these  experiments 
were  made  when  he  had  studied  chemistry  only  four 
months,  when  he  had  never  seen  a  single  experiment 
executed,  and  when  all  his  information  was  derived 
from  Nicholson's  "Chemistry  "and  Lavoisier's  "Elements." 
But  his  good  sense  quickly  came  to  his  rescue.  After 
the  first  feelings  of  anger  and  mortification  had  passed, 
he  recognised  the  justice  of  his  punishment,  much  as  he 
might  resent  the  mode  in  Avhicli  it  "vvas  inflicted.  How 
keen  was  the  smart  will  appear  from  the  following  re- 
flection, written  in  the  August  of  the  year  in  which  the 
essays  were  published  : — 

"  When  I  consider  the  variety  of  theories  that  may  be  formed 
on  the  slender  foundation  of  one  or  two  facts,  I  am  convinced 
that  it  is  the  business  of  the  true  philosopher  to  avoid  them 
altogether.  It  is  more  laborious  to  accumulate  facts  than  to 
rea^son  concerning  them  ;  but  one  good  experiment  is  of  more 
value  than  the  ingenuity  of  a  brain  like  Newton's." 

About  the  same  time  he  Avrote  : — 

"  I  was  perhaps  wrong  in  publishing,  with  such  haste,  a  new 
theory  of  chemistry.  ]\Iy  mind  was  ardent  and  enthusiastic. 
I  believed  that  I  had  discovered  the  truth.  Since  that  time  my 
knowledge  of  facts  is  increased— since  that  time  I  have  become 
more  sceptical." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  37 

In  the  October  of  the  same  year  he  wrote  : — 

"  Convinced  as  I  am  that  chemical  science  is  in  its  infancy,  that 
an  infinite  variety  of  new  facts  must  be  accumulated  before  our 
powers  of  reasoning  will  be  sufficiently  extensive,  I  renounce  my 
own  particular  theory  as  being  a  complete  arrangement  of  facts  : 
it  appears  to  me  now  only  as  the  most  jn-obahle  arrangement." 

By  the  end  of  the  year  the  rejjentance  was  complete, 
and  recantation  followed.  In  a  letter  which  appeared 
in  Nicholson's  Journal  in  February,  1800,  he  corrects 
some  of  the  errors  into  which  he  had  fallen,  and 
says,  "  I  beg  to  be  considered  as  a  sceptic  with  regard 
to  my  own  particular  theory  of  the  combinations 
of  light,  and  theories  of  light  in  general."  To  the 
end  of  his  days  Davy  never  forgot  the  lesson  which 
his  earliest  effort  had  taught  him ;  and  there  is  no 
question  that  the  memory  of  it  acted  as  a  salutary 
check  on  the  exuberance  of  his  fancy  and  the  flight  of 
his  imagination.  The  wound  to  his  self-love  was, 
however,  never  wholly  healed.  Nothing  annoyed  him 
more  than  any  reference  to  Beddoes's  book,  and  he 
declared  to  Dr.  Hope  that  he  Avould  joyfully  relinquish 
any  little  glory  or  reputation  he  might  have  acquired  by 
his  later  researches  were  it  possible  to  withdraw  his 
share  in  that  work  and  to  remove  the  impression  he 
feared  it  was  likely  to  produce. 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  the  unqualified  censure  with 
which  they  were  received,  and  of  the  severe  condemna- 
tion of  them  by  their  own  author,  we  are  disposed  to 
agree  with  Dr.  Davy  that  posterity  will  not  suffer 
these  essays  to  be  wholly  blotted  out  from  the  records 
of  science.  That  the  experimental  part  was  for  the 
most  part  radically  bad,  that  the  generalisation  was 
hasty  and  presumptuous,  and  the  reasoning  imperfect, 
cannot   be    gainsaid.      But,   withal,  the   essays    display 


:},S  Ur.MIMtltV    DAW. 

some  of  Davy's  best  and  happiest  characteristics.     There 
is  (lij^uity  of  treatment  and  a  sense  of  the  nobihty  of  the 
theuio  on  which  he  is  enj>:ai(ed ;  the  htorary  quality  is 
aihnirable:    there    is  cloarnoss   of  perception    and   per- 
spicuity of  statement ;  the  facts  as  lie  knew  them — or 
as    ho    thouijfht   he   knew    them — are   marshalled    Avith 
inj^enuity  and    with  a  logical  precision    worthy  of  his 
model  and  teacher  Lavoisier ;  his  style  is  sonorous  and 
copious,    even    to    redundancy— some    of    the    periods 
indeed  glow  with  all   the  fervour  and  richness  of  his 
Royal  Institution  lectures.     However  wild  and  visionary 
his  speculations  may  seem,  minds  like  those  of  Cole- 
ridge and  Southey  were  not  insensible  to  the  intrinsic 
beauty  of  some  of  his  ideas.     His  theory  of  respiration 
might  not  be  true,  but  it  had  at  least  the  merit  of  poetic 
.charm   in   its  consequence  that  the  power  and  perspi- 
cacity of  a  thinker  had  some  relation  to  the  amount  of 
light  secreted  by  his  brain.     Even  good  old  Dr.  Priestley, 
whose    Pegasus    could    never    be   stu-red    beyond    the 
gentlest   of   ambles,   tells   us    in  the  Appendix   to   his 
"  J  )octrine    of     Phlogiston    Established "    that    Mr.    H. 
Davy's  essays  had  impressed  him  with  a  high  opinion 
of  the  philosophical  acumen  of  their  author.    "  His  ideas 
were   to  me   new   and   very   striking  ;    but,"   he    adds, 
with  a  caution  that  was  not  habitual,  "they  are  of  too 
great  consequence  to  be  decided  upon  hastily." 

Among  the  letters  entrusted  to  me  is  one  from 
Priestley,  which  must  have  been  particularly  gratifying 
to  the  young  man.     It  is  as  follows: — 

"  Nortlmmberland,  Oct.  31, 1801. 
"  Sir, — I  have  read  with  admiration  your  excellent  publica- 
tions, and  have  received  much  instruction  from  them.     It  gives 
me  peculiar  .sati.sfaction  that,  as  I  am  far  advanced  in  life,  and 
cannot  expect  to  do  much  more,  I  shall  leave  so  able  a  fellow- 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  89 

labourer  of  my  own  country  in  the  great  fields  of  experimental 
philosophy.  As  old  an  experimenter  as  I  am,  T  was  near  forty 
before  I  made  any  experiments  on  the  subject  of  Air,  and  then 
without,  in  a  manner,  any  previous  knowledge  of  chemistry. 
This  I  picked  up  as  I  could,  and  as  I  found  occasion  for  it,  from 
books.  I  was  also  without  apparatus,  and  laboured  under  many 
other  disadvantages.  But  my  unexpected  success  induced  the 
friends  of  science  to  assist  me,  and  then  I  wanted  for  nothing. 
I  rejoice  that  you  are  so  young  a  man ;  and  perceiving  the 
ardour  with  which  you  begin  your  career,  I  have  no  doubt  of 
your  success. 

"  My  son,  for  whom  you  express  a  friendshi]),  and  which  he 
warmly  returns,  encourages  me  to  think  that  it  may  not  be  dis- 
agreeable to  you  to  give  me  information  occasionally  of  what  is 
passing  in  the  philosophical  world,  now  that  I  am  at  so  great  a 
distance  from  it,  and  interested,  as  you  may  suppose,  in  what 
passes  in  it.  Indeed,  I  shall  take  it  as  a  great  favour.  But  you 
must  not  expect  anything  in  return.  I  am  here  perfectly  in- 
sulated, and  this  country  furnishes  but  few  fellow-labourers,  and 
these  are  so  scattered,  that  we  can  have  but  little  communication 
with  each  other,  and  they  are  equally  in  want  of  information  with 
myself.  Unfortunately,  too,  correspondence  with  England  is  very 
slow  and  uncertain,  and  with  France  we  have  not  as  yet  any 
intercourse  at  all,  tho  we  hope  to  have  it  soon.     .     .     . 

"I  thank  you  for  the  favourable  mention  you  so  frequently 
make  of  my  experiments,  and  have  only  to  remark  that  in  Mr. 
Nicholson's  Journal  you  say  that  the  conducting  power  of 
charcoal  was  first  observed  by  those  who  made  experiments  on 
the  pile  of  Volta  ;  whereas  it  was  one  of  the  earliest  that  I  made, 
and  gave  an  account  of  in  my  History  of  Electricity,  and  in 
the  Philosophical  Transactions.  And  in  your  treatise  on  the 
Nitrous  Oxide  p.  55  you  say,  and  justly,  that  I  concluded  this 
air  to  be  lighter  than  that  of  the  atmosphere.  This,  however,  was 
an  error  in  the  printing  that  I  cannot  account  for.  It  should 
have  been  alkaline  air,  as  you  will  see  the  experiment  necessarily 
requires. 

"  With  the  greatest  esteem,  I  am  Sir,  yours  sincerely 

"  J.    PHIESTLEY." 

In  Davy's   next   contribution,  "  On   the   Silex   com- 
posing the  Epidermis,  or  External  Bark,  and  contained 


10  TirMl'llltV    DAW. 

in   (»tli(M-    parts   of    certain   Vciifotablcs,"    published    in 
Niclu)Is(»n's  Journal  in  the  early  part  of  LSOO,  we  find 
the  evidence  of  a  chastened   and  contrite  spirit.     The 
I  heme    is    liunil)l(>  enou,i,di.  and    the   languau^e  as    sober 
and   sedate   as   that   of    Mr.    Cavendish.      The   chance 
ob.servation  of    a   child    that    two  bmnet-canes   rubbed 
to»^ethcr  in  the  dark  j)roduced  a  luminous  appearance, 
led    him    to  investitj:ate  the  cause,  which  he  found   to 
reside  in  the  crystallised  silica  present  in  the  epidermis. 
Reeds  and  grasses,  and  the  straw  of  cereals,  were  also 
found    to   bo   rich    in  silica,  from  which  he  concludes 
that  '•  the  flint  entering  into  the  composition  of  these 
hollow    vegetables    may    be    considered    as    analogous 
to    the   bones   of  animals ;   it   gives   to    them    stability 
and    form,   and    by   being    situated   in    the    epidermis 
more  effectively  preserves   their   vessels  from   external 
injury."     It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether  the  rigidity 
of  tlie  stems  of  cereals  is  wholly  due  to  the  silica  they 
contain. 

From  a  letter  to  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert,  dated  April  10th, 
1799,  we  learn  that  he  had  now  begun  to  investigate 
the  effects  of  gases  in  respiration.  In  the  early  part  of 
the  year  he  had  removed  to  a  house  in  Dowry  Square, 
Clifton,  where  he  had  fitted  up  a  laboratory.  After 
thanking  his  friend  for  his  critical  remarks  on  his 
recently  published  essays,  he  says : 

"Your  excellent  ami  truly  philosophic  observation.s  will  induce 
me  to  pay  greater  attention  to  all  my  positions.  ...  I  made 
a  discovery  yesterday  which  proves  how  necessary  it  is  to  re})eat 
experiments.  The  gaseous  oxide  of  azote  is  perfectly  respirable 
when  i>ure.  It  is  never  deleterious  but  when  it  contains  nitrous 
gas.  I  have  found  a  mode  of  obtaining  it  pure,  and  I  breathed 
to-day,  in  the  i)resence  of  Dr.  Beddoes  and  some  others,  sixteen 
quarts  of  it  for  ne.ir  .seven  minutes.  It  appear:^  to  support  life 
longer  than   even   oxygen   gas,  and  absolutely  intoxicated  nie. 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  41 

Pure  oxygen  gas  produced  no  alteration  ia  my  pulse,  nor  any 
other  material  effect  ;  whereas  this  gas  ra'sed  my  pulse  upwards 
of  twenty  strokes,  made  me  dance  about  the  laboratory  as  a 
madman,  and  has  kept  my  spirits  in  a  glow  ever  since.  Is  not 
this  a  proof  of  the  truth  of  my  theory  of  respiration  1  for  this 
gas  contains  more  light  in  proportion  to  its  oxygen  than  any 
other,  and  I  hope  will  ]irove  a  most  valuable  medicine. 

"We  have  upwards  of  eighty  out-patients  in  the  Pneumatic 
Institution,  and  afe  going  on  wonderfully  well." 

This  observation  of  the  respirabihty  of  nitrous  oxide, 
and  ot"  the  effects  of  its  inhalation,  was  quickly  con- 
firmed. Soutliey,  Coleridge,  Tobin  (the  dramatist), 
Joseph  Priestley,  the  son  of  the  chemist,  the  two 
Wedgwoods,  and  a  dozen  other  people  of  lesser  note 
were  induced  to  breathe  the  gas  and  to  record  their 
sensations.  The  discovery  was  soon  noised  abroad ; 
Dr  Beddoes  dispatched  a  short  note  to  Nicholson's 
Journal,  and  the  fame  of  the  Pneumatic  Institution 
went  up  by  leaps  and  bounds. 

Maria  Edgeworth,  who  was  at  the  time  on  a  visit 
to  her  sister,  thus  writes  : — 

"  A  young  man,  a  Mr.  Davy,  at  Dr.  Beddoes',  who  has  applied 
himself  much  to  chemistry,  has  made  some  discoveries  of  import- 
ance, and  enthusiastically  expects  wonders  will  be  performed  by 
the  use  of  certain  gases,  which  inebriate  in  the  most  delightful 
manner,  having  the  oblivious  effects  of  Lethe,  and  at  the  same 
time  giving  the  rapturous  sensations  of  the  Nectar  of  the  Gods  ! 
Pleasure  even  to  niai;lness  is  the  consequence  of  this  draught. 
But  faith,  great  faith,  is  I  believe  necessary  to  i:)roduce  any  effect 
upon  the  drinkers,  and  I  have  seen  some  of  the  adventurous 
philosophers  who  sought  in  vain  for  satisfaction  in  the  bag  of 
Gaseous  Oxyd,  and  found  nothing  but  a  sick  stomach  and  a  giddy 
head." 

Laughing-gas,  indeed  threatened  to  become,  like 
Priestley's  dephlogisticated  air,  "  a  fashionable  article  in 
luxury."  Monsieur  Fievee,  in  his  "  Lettres  sur  I'Angleterre, 


4l'  lUMI'linV    DAVY, 

1.S02,"  niiinos  it.  in  tlir  oataldtjjiio  of  follies  to  wliieli  the 
Ki\i;lish  were  iiddictcd,  aiul  says  the  practice  of  breathing 
it  amomitod  to  a  national  vice ! 

Davy  l»ad  no  sooner  discovered  that  the  gas  might 
l>o  n'spirod,  than  he  proceeded  to  attack  the  whole  subject 
of  the  chemistry  of  the  oxides  of  nitrogen,  and  of  nitrons 
oxido  in  particular,  and  after  ten  months  of  incessant 
lal>our  ho  put  together  the  results  of  his  observations 
in  an  (u-tavo  volume,  entitled,  "Researches,  Chemical, 
and  Philosophical,  chiefly  concerning  Nitrons  Oxide, 
or  |)e})hlogisticatcd  Nitrous  Air,  and  its  Respiration.  By 
Humphry  Davy,  Superintendent  of  the  Medical  Tnstitu- 
tii>n."'  The  book  appeared  in  the  summer  of  1800,  and 
inunediately  re-established  its  author's  character  as  an 
experimentalist.  Thomson,  in  his  "History  of  Chemistry," 
says  of  it :  "  This  work  gave  him  at  once  a  high  reputa- 
tion as  a  chemist,  and  was  really  a  wonderful  performance, 
when  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  produced 
are  taken  into  consideration."  In  spite,  however,  of  the 
eulogies  with  which  it  was  welcomed,  its  sale  was  never 
very  extensive,  and  a  second  edition  was  not  required. 
In  fact,  the  work  as  a  whole  was  hardly  calculated  to 
attract  the  general  public,  whose  only  concern  with 
laughing-gas  was  in  its  powers  as  an  exhilarant.  Indeed, 
this  aspect  of  the  question  is  not  wholly  lost  on  Davy 
himself,  who  is  careful  to  point  out  that  "  if  the  pleasure- 
able  effects  or  medical  properties  of  the  nitrous  oxide 
should  ever  make  it  an  article  of  general  request,  it  may 
be  procured  with  much  less  time,  labour,  and  expense 
than  most  of  the  luxuries,  or  even  necessaries,  of  life  "  ; 
and  in  a  footnote  he  adds,  "  A  pound  of  nitrate  of 
ammonia  costs  5s.  lOd.  (its  present  price  is  9d. !).  This 
pound,  properly  decomposed,  produces  rather  more  than 
34  moderate  doses  of  the  air,  so  that  the  expense  of  a 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  43 

dose  is  about  2d.     What  fluid  stimulus  can  be  procured 
at  so  cheap  a  rate  ?  " 

To  the  chemical  student  the  book  had,  and  still  has, 
many  features  of  interest.  It  contains  a  number  of 
important  facts,  based  on  original  and  fairly  accurate 
observation.  In  the  arrangement  of  these  facts  "  I  have 
been  guided  as  much  as  possible,"  says  their  author,  "  by 
obvious  and  simple  analogies  only.  Hence,  I  have  seldom 
entered  into  theoretical  discussions,  particularly  con- 
cerning light,  heat,  and  other  agents,  which  are  known 
only  by  isolated  effects.  Early  experience  has  taught 
me  the  folly  of  hasty  generalisation."  The  work  is 
divided  into  four  main  sections.  The  first  chiefly  re- 
lates to  the  production  of  nitrous  oxide,  and  the  analysis 
of  nitrous  gas  and  nitrous  acid.  He  minutely  studies 
the  mode  of  decomposition  of  ammonium  nitrate  (first 
observed  by  Berthollet),  and  shows  that  it  is  an  endo- 
thermic  phenomenon,  varying  in  character  with  the 
temperature  and  manner  of  heating.  He  is  thus  led  to 
offer  the  following  Speculations  on  the  Decomposition!^ 
of  Nitrate  of  Ammonia : — 

"  All  the  phenomena  of  chemistry  concur  in  proving  that  the 
affinity  of  one  body,  A,  for  another,  B,  is  not  destroyed  by  its 
combination  with  a  third,  C,  but  only  modified  ;  either  by  con- 
densation or  expansion,  or  by  the  attraction  of  C  for  B.  On  this 
]n-inciple  the  attraction  of  compound  bodies  for  each  other  must 
be  resolved  into  the  reciprocal  attractions  of  their  constituents, 
and  consequently  the  changes  produced  in  them  by  variations 
of  temperature  explained  from  the  alterations  produced  in  the 
attractions  of  those  constituents." 

The  singular  property  possessed  by  ammonium  nitrate 
of  decomposing  in  several  distinct  modes  according  to 
the  rapidity  of  heating  and  the  temperature  to  which 
the  substance  is  raised,  first  indicated  by  Davy,  has  been 
minutely  studied  by  M.  Berthelot,  who  has  shown  that 


41.  IIUMI'llItV    DAVY, 

this  coinp:iriitivoly  simple  salt  may  be  decomposed  in 
ns  many  lus  six  ditVerent  ways.  It  may  be  (1)  dissociated 
into  •,nuso()US  nitric  acid  and  ammonia;  (2)  decomposed 
info  nitrous  oxide  and  water;  (.S)  resolved  into  nitrogen, 
i).\Vi,'iMi,  and  water,  (4)  t)r  into  nitric  oxide,  nitrogen,  and 
water,  (5)  or  into  nitrogen,  nitrogen  peroxide,  and  water; 
or  lastly  (G),  under  the  influence  of  spongy  platinum,  it 
may  be  resolved  into  gaseous  nitric  acid,  nitrogen,  and 
acpieous  vapour.  These  different  modes  of  decomposition 
may  be  distinct  or  simultaneous ;  or,  more  exactly,  the 
])redominanee  of  any  one  of  them  depends  on  relative 
rapidity  and  on  the  temperature  at  which  decomposition 
is  produced.  This  temperature  is  not  fixed,  but  is  itself 
subordinate  to  the  rapidity  of  heating  {cf.  Berthelot's 
"  Kxj)losives  and  Their  Power,"  translated  by  Hake  and 
Macnab).  The  assertion  of  De  la  Metherie,  that  the 
gas  prodnced  by  the  solution  of  platinum  in  nitro- 
nuiriatic  acid  was  identical  with  the  de})hlogisticated 
nitrous  air  of  Priestley  (nitrous  oxide),  led  Davy  to 
examine  the  gaseous  products  of  this  reaction  more 
particularly.  He  had  no  difficulty  in  disproving  the 
statement  of  the  French  chemist ;  but  his  observations, 
although  accurate,  led  him  to  no  definite  conclusion. 
"  It  remains  doubtful,"  he  says,  "  whether  the  gas 
consists  simply  of  highly  oxigenated  muriatic  acid  and 
nitrogen,  produced  by  the  decomposition  of  nitric  acid 
from  the  coalescing  affinities  of  platina  and  muriatic 
acid  for  oxygen  ;  or  whether  it  is  composed  of  a  ijeculiar 
gas,  analogous  to  oxigenated  muriatic  acid  and  nitrogen, 
generated  from  some  unknown  affinities."  The  real  nature 
of  the  gas,  which  has  also  been  considered  by  Lavoisier 
as  a  particular  species,  not  hitherto  described,  was  first 
established  by  Gay  Lussac,  when  Davy  had  himself  proved 
that  "oxigenated  muriatic  acid"  was  a  simple  substance. 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER,  45 

In  the  second  section  the  combinations  and  composi- 
tion of  nitrous  oxide-  are  investigated,  and  an  account  is 
given  of  its  decomposition  by  combustible  bodies,  and  a 
series  of  experiments  are  described  which  are  now  among 
the  stock  ilhistrations  of  the  chemical  lecture-room.  As 
to  its  composition,  he  says,  "  taking  the  mean  estimations 
from  the  most  accurate  experiments,  we  may  conclude 
that  100  grains  of  the  known  ponderable  matter  of 
nitrous  oxide  consist  of  about  36 '7  oxygen  and  63  3 
nitrogen" — no  very  great  disparity  from  modern  numbers, 
viz.  36"4  oxygen  and  63'6  nitrogen.  He  concludes  this 
section  with  a  short  review  of  the  characteristic  properties 
of  the  combinations  of  oxygen  and  nitrogen,  among 
which  he  is  led  to  class  atmospheric  air. 

"  That  tlie  oxygen  and  nitrogen  of  atmospheric  air  exist  in 
chemical  union,  appears  almost  demonstrable  from  the  following 
evidences. 

"  1st-  The  equable  diffusion  of  oxygen  and  nitrogen  through 
every  part  of  the  atmosphere,  which  can  hardly  be  supposed 
to  depend  on  any  other  cause  than  an  affinity  between  these 
principles. 

"  2<ny.  The  difference  between  the  specific  gravity  of  at- 
mospheric air,  and  a  mixture  of  27  parts  oxygen  and  73  nitrogen, 
as  found  by  calculation  ;  a  difference  apparently  owing  to  expan- 
sion in  consequence  of  combination." 

These  "  evidences "  had  already  been  adduced  by 
others,  as  stated  by  Davy ;  the  first  was  subsequently 
disproved  by  Dalton,  the  second  was  based  on  inaccurate 
analyses  of  air. 

To  these  Davy  added  two  other  "proofs"  which 
originated  with  him  : — 

"3diy.  The  conversion  of  nitrous  oxide  into  nitrous  acid, 
and  a  gas  analogous  to  common  air,  by  ignition. 

"  4tii!y.     The  solubility  of  atmospheric  air  undecompounded." 


46  HUMPHRY    DAVY, 

Of  these  it  may  be  stated  that  the  first  is  invalid, 
and  the  second  not  true.  Nitrous  oxide  may,  under 
certain  cireumstances,  <,nve  rise  to  a  mixture  of  oxygen 
and  nitroiron.  I>ut  not  necessarily  in  the  same  proportion 
as  in  common  air:  and  the  air  boiled  out  from  Avater  has 
not  the  same  composition  as  atmospheric  air. 

Daw  a  few  years  afterwards  obtained  nuicb  clearer 
views  as  to  the  \v:\\  nature  of  the  atmosphere,  and  was, 
in  fai't.  one  of  the  earliest  to  recognise  that  it  is  merely 
:i  mixture  of  oxygen  and  nitrogen. 

The  third  section  consists  of  an  account  of  observa- 
tions on  the  action  of  nitrous  oxide  upon  animals,  and  an 
investigation  of  the  changes  effected  in  it  by  respiration; 
whilst  the  fourth  and  last  gives  a  history  of  the  respira- 
bility  and  pf  the  extraordinary  effects  of  nitrous  oxide, 
with  details  of  experiments  on  its  powers  made  by 
ditlerent  individuals. 

The  last  portion  of  the  inquiry — in  time  of  execution 
the  first — is  particularly  interesting  to  the  biographer  of 
Davy,  not  only  because  the  work  in  it  was  originated  and 
carried  out  by  him,  but  also  from  the  light  it  incidentally 
throws  on  his  character  and  genius : — 

"  A  short  time,"  he  says,  "after  I  began  the  study  of  chemistry, 
in  March  1798,  my  attention  was  directed  to  the  dephlogisticated 
nitrous  gas  of  Priestley,  by  Dr.  ^Slitchell's  Theory  of  Contagion." 
"Dr.  Mitchell,"  he  tells  us  in  a  foot-note,  "attempted  to  prove 
from  some  phenomenon  connected  with  contagious  diseases,  that 
dephlogi-sticated  nitrous  gas  which  he  called  oxide  of  septon, 
was  the  principle  of  contagion,  and  capable  of  producing  the 
mo'-st  terrible  effects  when  respired  by  animals  in  tlie  minutest 
quantities,  or  even  when  applied  to  the  skin  or  muscular  fibre." 
"The  fallacy  of  this  theory,"  he  continues,  "was  soon  demonstrated 
by  a  few  coarse  experiments  made  on  small  quantities  of  the  gas 
procured  from  zinc  and  diluted  nitrous  [nitric]  acid.  Wounds 
were  exposed  to  its  action,  the  bodies  of  animals  were  immersed 
in  it  without  injury  ;  and  I  breathed  it  mingled  in  small  quantities 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  47 

with  common  air,  without  remarkable  effects.  An  inability  to 
procure  it  in  sufficient  quantities  prevented  me  at  this  time  from 
pursuing  the  experiments  to  any  greater  extent.  I  communicated 
an  account  of  them  to  Dr.  Beddoes." 

In  the  earl}^  part  of  April,  1799,  lie  obtained  nitrous 
oxide  in  a  state  of  purity,  and,  as  already  stated,  made 
the  attempt  to  respire  it. 

"  I  was  aware,"  he  says,  "  of  the  danger  of  this  experiment.  It 
certainly  would  never  have  l)een  made  if  the  hypothesis  of  Dr. 
Mitchell  had  in  the  least  influenced  my  mind.  I  thought  that  the 
effects  might  be  possibly  depressing  and  painful,  but  there  were 
many  reasons  which  induced  me  to  believe  that  a  single  inspira- 
tion of  a  gas  api)arently  possessing  no  immediate  action  on  the 
irritable  fibre,  could  neither  destroy  nor  immediately  injure  the 
powers  of  life." 

The  experiment  was  made :  the  gas  passed  into  the 
bronchia  without  stimulating  the  glottis,  and  produced 
no  uneasy  feeling  in  the  lungs.  There  was  a  sense  of 
fulness  in  the  head  accompanied  with  loss  of  distinct 
sensation  and  voluntary  power — a  feeling  analogous  to 
that  produced  in  the  first  stage  of  intoxication,  but 
unattended  by  pleasurable  sensation.  In  company  with 
Dr.  Beddoes  the  experiment  was  repeated,  with  the 
following  results  : — 

"  Having  previously  closed  my  nostrils  and  exhausted  my 
lungs,  I  breathed  four  quarts  of  nitrous  oxide  from  and  in  to  a 
silk  bag.  The  first  feelings  were  similar  to  those  produced  in 
the  last  experiment ;  but  in  less  than  half  a  minute,  the  respira- 
tion being  continued,  they  diminished  gradually,  and  were  suc- 
ceeded by  a  sensation  analogous  to  gentle  pressure  on  all  the 
muscles  attended  by  a  highly  pleasurable  thrilling,  particularly 
in  the  chest  and  the  extremities.  The  objects  around  me  became 
dazzling,  and  my  hearing  more  acute.  Towards  the  last  inspira- 
tions, the  thrilling  increased,  the  sense  of  muscular  power  became 
greater,  and  at  last  an  irresistible  propensity  to  action  was 
indulged  in  ;  I  recollect  but  indistinctly  what  followed  ;  I  know 
that  my  motions   were  various  and  violent.     These  effects  very 


4,S  UITMI'IIKV    DAW, 

soon  coased  after  respiration.  In  ivn  minutes  I  had  recovered 
my  natural  state  of  mind.  The  thrilling  in  the  extremities 
continued  longer  than  the  other  sensations.  This  experiment 
wa.s  made  in  the  morning  ;  no  langonr  or  exhaustion  was  conse- 
(|uent,  my  feelings  throughout  the  day  were  as  usual,  and  I 
passed  the  night  in  undisturbed  repose.  The  next  morning  the 
rooollections  of  the  eflfects  of  the  gas  were  very  indistinct,  and 
had  not  remarks  written  immediately  after  the  experiment  re- 
called them  to  my  mind  I  should  have  even  doubted  of  their  reality. 
I  was  willing  indeed  to  attribute  some  of  the  strong  cn)otion  to 
the  enthusiasm,  which  I  supposed  must  have  been  necessarily 
connected  with  the  ]>erception  of  agreeable  feelings,  when  I  was 
prepared  to  experience  painful  sensations.  Two  experiments, 
however,  made  in  the  course  of  this  day,  with  scepticism,  con- 
vinced rac  that  the  efTects  were  solely  owing  to  the  specific 
operation  of  the  gas." 

Having  thus  ascertained  the  ])owers  of  the  gas,  he 
made  many  experiments  to  ascertain  the  length  of  thne 
it  might  be  breathed  with  safety,  its  action  on  the  pnlse, 
and  its  general  effects  on  the  health  when  often  respired. 

After  a  number  of  experiments  made  to  determine 
its  effect  in  allaying  fatigue,  in  mducing  sleep,  or  in 
alleviating  the  after-effects  of  vinous  intoxication,  he 
resolved 

"to  breathe  the  gas  for  such  a  time  and  in  such  (luantities  as 
to  produce  excitement  equal  in  duration  and  superior  in  intensity 
to  that  occasioned  by  high  intoxication  from  opium  or  alcohol." 

For  this  purpose  he  was  enclosed  in  an  air-tight 
or  box-chamber,  into  which  from  time  to  time,  by  the 
help  of  Dr.  Kinglake,  successive  quantities  of  twenty 
quarts  of  nitrous  oxide  were  introduced.  As  he  breathed 
the  gas,  he  found  that  his  temperature  and  pulse 
gradually  increased.  He  experienced  a  generally  diffused 
warmth  without  the  slightest  moisture  of  the  skin,  a 
sense  of  exhilaration  similar  to  that  produced  by  a  small 
dose  of  wine,  and  disposition  to  nmscular  motion  and  to 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  49 

iiierriinent.  Luniinoiis  points  seemed  frequently  to  pass 
before  his  eyes,  his  hearing  became  more  acute,  and  he 
felt  a  pleasant  lightness  and  power  of  exertion  in  the 
muscles ;  and,  on  account  of  the  great  desire  of  action, 
rest  was  painful.  After  having  been  in  the  box  for 
an  hour  and  a  quarter  he  began  to  respire  twenty  quarts 
of  unmingled  nitrous  oxide.  What  followed  is  best 
described  in  his  own  words : — 

"A  thrilling,  extending  from  the  chest  to  the  extremities,  was 
almost  immediately  produced.  I  felt  a  sense  of  tangible  extension 
highly  pleasurable  in  every  limb ;  my  visible  impressions  were 
dazzling,  and  apparently  magnified,  I  heard  distinctly  every  sound 
in  the  room,  and  was  perfectly  aware  of  my  situation.  By  degrees, 
as  the  pleasurable  sensations  increased,  I  lost  all  connection  with 
external  things  ;  trains  of  vivid  visible  images  rapidly  passed 
through  my  mind,  and  were  connected  with  words  in  such  a 
manner,  as  to  produce  perceptions  perfectly  novel.  I  existed  in  a 
world  of  newly  connected  and  newly  modified  ideas  :  I  theorised, 
I  imagined  that  I  made  discoveries.  When  I  was  awakened  from 
this  semi  delirious  trance  by  Dr.  Kinglake,  who  took  the  bag  from 
my  mouth,  indignation  and  pride  were  the  tirst  feelings  produced 
by  the  sight  of  the  persons  about  me.  My  emotions  were  enthusi- 
astic and  sublime,  and  for  a  minute  I  walked  round  the  room 
perfectly  regardless  of  what  was  said  to  me.  As  I  recovered  my 
former  state  of  mind  I  felt  an  inclination  to  communicate  the 
discoveries  I  had  made  during  the  experiment.  I  endeavoured  to 
recall  the  ideas  :  they  were  feeble  and  indistinct ;  one  collection 
of  terms  however  presented  itself  ;  and  with  a  most  intense 
belief  and  i^rophetic  manner,  I  exclaimed  to  Dr.  Kinglake, 
'  Nothing  exists  hut  thouglits  '  The  universe  is  coinj^ostd  of  im2)}'es- 
sions,  ideas,  pleasures  and  licdns  ! ' " 

As  might  be  anticipated,  the  friend  of  Coleridge  and 
Southey,  himself  a  youth  of  sensibilit}^  and  poetic  feeling, 
was  curious  to  learn  whether  this  wonderful  gas  Avould 
increase  his  stock  of  the  divine  afflatus.  He  walked 
amidst  the  scenery  of  the  Avon,  "  rendered  exquisitely 
beautiful  by  bright  moonshine,"  and,  with  a  mind  tilled 


50  HT'MPHRV    DAW, 

with  plciisumhlo  I'oeliiii^s,  he  breatlied  the  gas,  and  we 
hiivo  Jis  a  consotiucnco  the  followini;  effusion: — 

"  Not  in  the  ideal  dreams  of  wild  desire 

Have  I  behelil  a  rapture-wakeninfj;  form  : 
My  bosom  burns  witli  no  unhallow'd  fire, 

\tit  is  my  cheek  with  rosy  bbislu'S  warm  ; 
Yet  are  my  eyes  with  sparkliii.!^  kistre  lill'd  ; 

Vet  is  my  mouth  replete  with  murmuring  sound  ; 
Vot  are  my  limbs  with  inward  transports  lill'd, 

And  clad  with  new-born  mightiness  around." 

Wliether,  as  the  result  of  this  effort,  Davy  ever  again 
essayed  to  tempt  the  muse  when  under  the  influence 
of  nitrous  oxide  is  doubtful.  Nowadays  the  gas  is  too 
frequently  associated  with  unhappy  memories  of  the 
dentist's  chair  to  call  up  pleasurable  associations  in  a 
poet's  mind. 

Davy  concludes  his  memoir  with  some  cautious  spec- 
ulations as  to  the  mode  of  action  of  nitrous  oxide.  That 
it  acts  en  the  blood  he  was  well  aware,  but  it  has  been 
left  for  subsequent  research  to  determine  in  what  manner. 
He  points  out  that  "  as  nitrous  oxide  in  its  extensive 
operation  appears  capable  of  destroying  physical  pain,  it 
may  probably  be  used  with  advantage  during  surgical 
operations  in  which  no  great  effusion  of  blood  takes 
place."  As  is  well  known,  nitrous  oxide  is  now  one  of 
the  commonest  antesthetic  agents. 

As  regards  the  general  question  how  far  the  gases  are 
likely  to  subserve  the  interests  of  medicine,  he  is  very 
cjuarded. 

"  Pneumatic  chemistry,"  he  says,  "  in  its  apiilication  to 
medicine  is  an  art  in  infancy,  weak,  almost  useless,  but  appar- 
ently po.ssessed  of  capabilities  of  improvement.  To  be  rendered 
strong  and  mature,  she  must  be  nourished  by  facts,  strengthened 
by  exercise,  and  cautiously  directed  in  the  application  of  her 
powers  by  rational  scepticism." 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  51 

Davy's  success  with  nitrous  oxide  led  him  to  atteujpt 
to  respire  other  gases — such  as  hydrogen,  nitric  oxide, 
carbonic  acid—  with  in  one  or  two  cases  ahnost  fatal  con- 
sequences. On  one  occasion  he  tried  to  breathe  water- 
gas,  made  by  passing  steam  over  charcoal,  and  was  with 
difficulty  brought  to  life  again.  These  deleterious  experi- 
ments, carried  on  with  all  the  ardour  and  impetuosity  of 
his  nature,  and  at  the  expense  of  much  nervous  energy, 
reacted  prejudicially  on  his  health,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
seek  relaxation  and  quiet  in  the  pure  atmosphere  of  his 
native  place. 

With  the  approach  of  winter  he  was  back  again  in 
Bristol,  with  health  restored  and  vigour  renewed.  The 
followinof  letter  to  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert  is  interestinof  as 
fixing  the  time  at  which  he  entered  on  the  path  of  inquiry 
which  was  to  lead  him  to  his  greatest  triumphs  : — 

"Pneumatic  Institution,  Oct.  20,  1800. 

"In  pursuing  experiments  on  galvanism,  during  the  last  two 
months,  I  have  met  with  unexpected  and  unhoped-for  success. 
Some  of  the  new  facts  on  this  subject  promise  to  afford  instru- 
ments capable  of  destroying  the  mysterious  veil  which  Nature  has 
thrown  over  the  operations  and  properties  of  ethereal  fluids. 

"Galvanism  I  have  found,  by  numerous  experiments,  to  be 
a  process  purely  chemical,  and  to  depend  wholly  on  the  oxidation 
of  metallic  surfaces,  having  different  degrees  of  electric  conducting 
power. 

"  Zinc  is  incapable  of  decomposing  j^ure  water  ;  and  if  the 
zinc  ijlates  be  kept  moist  with  pure  water,  the  galvanic  pile 
does  not  act  ;  but  zinc  is  capable  of  oxidating  itself  when 
placed  in  contact  with  water,  holding  in  solution  either  oxygen, 
atmospheric  air,  or  nitrous  or  muriatic  acid,  ifec.  ;  and  under  such 
circumstances  the  galvanic  phenomena  are  produced,  and  their 
intensity  is  in  proportion  to  the  rapidity  with  which  the  zinc  is 
oxidated. 

"  The  galvanic  pile  only  acts  for  a  few  minutes,  when  intro- 
duced into  hydrogen,  nitrogen,  orhydroc;irbonite  [the  gas  obtained 
by  the  action  of  steam  on  charcoal] ;  that  is,  only  as  long  as  the 
d2 


.-,2  iirMPiTitv  n.WY. 

water  Letween  its  plates  liolds  some  oxyKen  in  solution  ;  inunerse 
it    for    a    few    monionts   in   water  containing  air,   and   it  acts 

agiiiii. 

"  It  acts  very  vividly  in  oxygen  giis,  and  less  so  in  the  atmos- 
jihcre.  ^Vhen  its  plates  are  moistened  by  marine  acid,  its  action 
is  very  powerful,  but  infinitely  n\ore  so  when  nitrous  [nitric]  acid 
is  iiiiploycd.  Five  i)lates  with  nitrous  [nitric]  acid  gave  sparks 
ciiual  to  those  of  the  conunon  pile.  From  twenty  plates  the  shock 
was  insu|)portiible. 

"  I  had  almost  forgotten  to  mention,  that  charcoal  is  a  good 
galvanic  exciter,  and  decuuiposes  water,  like  tbe  metals,  in  the 
pile ;  but  I  must  stop,  without  being  able  to  expatiate  on  the 
connection  which  is  now  obvious  between  galvanism  and  some  of 
the  jihenomena  of  organic  motion 

"  1  remain  with  sincere  respect  and  affection,  yours 

''Humphry  Davy." 
To  his  mother  he  writes : — 

"  Hotwells,  Novewher  19,  1800. 

"  My  ])Kar  Mother,— Had  I  believed  that  my  silence  of  six 
weeks  would  have  given  you  a  moment's  uneasiness,  I  should 
have  written  long  ago.  But  I  have  been  engaged  in  my  favourite 
pursuit  of  experimenting,  and  in  endeavouring  to  amuse  two  of 
my  friends  who  ha\e  spent  some  days  at  the  Institute.  One  of 
them  is  your  quondam  lodger,  Gregory  Watt,  who  desired  to  be 
kindly  remembered  to  you  and  the  family.     .     .     . 

"  Accept  my  aflfectionate  thanks  for  your  presents.  I  have 
received  them  all,  and  I  have  made  a  good  use  of  them  all.  Several 
times  has  a  supper  on  the  excellent  marinaded  pilchards  made 
me  recollect  former  times,  when  I  sat  opposite  to  you,  my  dear 
mother,  in  the  little  parlour,  round  the  little  table  eating  of  the 
same  delicious  food,  and  talking  of  future  unknown  things.  Little 
did  I  then  think  of  my  present  situation,  or  of  the  mode  in  which 
I  am,  and  am  to  be,  connected  with  the  world.  Little  did  I  then 
think  that  1  should  ever  be  so  long  absent  from  the  place  of  my 
birth  as  to  feel  longings  so  powerful  as  those  I  now  feel  for  visiting 
it  again.     .     .     . 

"  I  shall  see  with  heartfelt  pleasure  the  time  approaching  when 
I  .shall  again  behold  my  first  home— when  I  shall  endeavour  to 
rei)ay  some  of  the  debts  of  gratitude  I  owe  to  you,  to  the  Doctor 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  53 

[Tonkin],  and  to  ray  aunts.  My  next  visit  shall  not  be  so  short  a 
one  as  the  last.  I  will  stay  with  you  at  least  two  or  three  months. 
You  have  let  half  your  house.  Have  you  a  bed-room  reserved  for 
me,  and  a  little  room  for  a  laboratory  1  Which  part  liave  you 
let  1  When  I  come  to  Penzance  we  will  settle  all  about  John  ; 
till  then  I  should  like  for  him  to  learn  French  and  Latin  with 
i\Ir.  Dugart.  The  expense  of  this  or  any  other  part  of  his  educa- 
tion I  will  be  glad  to  defray.  Do  not  by  any  means  put  him  with 
^Ir.  Coryton.  ...  I  will  write  to  Kitty  in  the  course  of  next 
month.     I  am  glad  to  hear  Grace  is  better.     .     .     . 

"  All  in  the  way  of  progress  goes  on  nobly.  ^ly  health  was 
never  better  than  it  has  been  since  I  left  Cornwall  last.  I  shall 
be  very  glad  to  hear  from  you  soon.  You  have  a  hundred  objects 
to  write  about  interesting  to  me.  I  can  only  write  of  myself.  .  . 
Love  to  Kitty,  Grace,  Betsy  and  John. 
"  Farewell,  my  dear  mother.    I  am  your  affectionate  son 

"H.  Davy." 

The  following  letter  is  to  his  old  friend  and  benefactor, 
Mr.  John  Tonkin:— 

"  Dowry  tSquare,  Clifton,  Jan.  12,  1801. 
"  FiESPECTED  8iR,  ....  Natural  philosophy  has  lately  been 
enriched  with  many  curious  discoveries,  amongst  which  galvanism, 
a  phenomenon  that  promises  to  unfold  to  us  some  of  the  laws  of 
our  nature  is  one  of  the  most  impoi-tant.  In  medicine,  the  in- 
oculation for  the  cow-pox  is  becoming  general,  not  in  England  alone, 
but  over  the  whole  of  Europe  ;  and  taking  circumstances  as  they 
now  stand,  it  promises  gradually  to  annihilate  small-pox.  My 
discoveries  relating  to  the  nitrous  oxide,  the  pleasure-producing 
air,  are  beginning  to  make  some  noise  ;  the  experiments  have 
been  repeated,  with  the  greatest  success,  by  the  ])rofessors  of  the 
University  of  Edinburgh,  who  have  taken  up  the  subject  with 
great  ardour  ;  and  I  have  received  letters  of  thanks  and  of  praises 
for  my  labours  from  some  of  the  most  respectable  of  the  English 
philosophers.  I  am  sorry  to  be  so  much  of  an  egotist ;  yet  I 
cannot  sjjeak  of  the  Pneumatic  Institution  and  its  success  without 
speaking  of  myself.  Our  patients  are  becoming  daily  more 
numerous,  and  our  Institution,  in  spite  of  the  political  odium 
attached  to  its  founder,  is  respected,  even  in  the  trading  city  of 
Bristol.     ...     I  am   at  this  moment  very  healthy  and  very 


54  nrMiMiitv  nwY. 

Iiiippy  ;  I  haVc  had  j^reat  success  in  my  experiments  and  I  gain 
a  competence  by  my  pursuits,  at  the  same  time  that  I  am  (in 
hopw  at  least)  doing  something  towards  ]tronioting  the  public 
Kood.  If  I  feel  any  anxiety,  it  is  that  of  l)eing  removed  so  far 
from  you,  my  mother,  and  my  relations  and  friends.  If  I  was 
nearer,  I  would  endeavour  to  be  useful  to  you  ;  I  would  endeavour 
to  pay  some  of  the  debts  of  gratitude,  T  owe  to  you,  my  first 
protector  and  earliest  friend.  As  it  is,  1  must  look  forward  to  a 
futurity  that  will  enable  me  to  do  this  ;  but,  believe  me,  wherever 
I  am,  and  whatever  may  be  my  situation,  I  shall  never  lose  the 
remembrance  of  obligations  conferred  on  me,  or  the  sense  of 
gratitude  which  ought  to  accompany  them. 

"  I  remain,  respected  Sir,  with  unfeigned  duty  and  affection, 
yours  "H.  Davy." 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  PNEUMATIC  INSTITUTION,  BRISTOL,  1798-1801  (conthmed). 

Terh.M's  at  no  time  of  his  life  was  Davy  more  keenly 
sensible  of  the  joy  of  livin^,'  than  at  this  period — "  in  the 
flower  and  freshness  of  his  youth,"  as  Southey  says. 
That  he  was  eager,  active,  buoyant,  happy,  is  obvious 
from  his  letters.  He  had  the  sweet  consciousness  of 
success,  and  all  the  sweeter  that  it  had  so  quickly 
followed  the  bitterness  of  disappointment.  He  had 
been  able  to  measure  himself  against  some  of  the  ablest 
minds  of  the  time — of  men  who  were  making  the  in- 
tellectual history  of  the  early  part  of  this  century — and 
the  comparison,  we  may  be  sure,  was  not  altogether 
unpleasing  to  him. 

The  love  of  fame — "the  honourable  meed  of  the 
ap])lause  of  enlightened  men,"  as  he  called  it — w\as  his 
ruling  passion  and  the  motive  principle  of  his  life.  As 
his  experience  and  the  range  of  his  knowledge  widened, 
he   felt   a   growing   conviction    that    with   health    and 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  5S 

strength   lie   need  set  no  bounds  to  the  limits  of  his 
ambition. 

Of  the  impression  he  made  on  others,  and  of  the 
influence  and  power  he  exerted  on  minds  far  more 
matured  than  his  own,  we  have  abundant  evidence  in  the 
letters  of  his  contemporaries.  Miss  Edgeworth's  good- 
humoured  patronage  quickly  passed  into  amazement 
and  ended  in  awe.  Writing  to  William  Taylor  of 
Norwich,  Southe}^  calls  Davy  "  a  miraculous  young  man, 
whose  talents  I  can  only  wonder  at."  Amos  Cottle, 
poet  and  publisher,  to  whom  he  was  introduced  shortly 
after  his  arrival  at  Bristol,  says  of  him  in  the  "  Re- 
miniscences of  Coleridge  and  Southey  "  : — 

"  I  was  much  struck  with  the  intellectual  character  of  his  face. 
His  eye  was  piercing;-,  and  when  not  engaged  in  converse,  was 
remarkably  introverted,  amounting  to  absence,  as  though  his 
mind  had  been  pursuing  some  severe  train  of  thought  scarcely  to 
be  interrupted  by  external  objects  ;  and,  from  the  first  interview 
also,  his  ingenuousness  impressed  me  as  much  as  his  mental 
superiority." 

Cottle  on  one  occasion  said  to  Coleridge,  "  During 
your  stay  in  London  you  doubtless  saw  a  great  many 
of  what  are  called  the  cleverest  men — how  do  you 
estimate  Davy  in  comparison  with  these  ? "  Mr.  Cole- 
ridge's reply  was  strong  but  expressive :  "  W^hy,  Davy 
can  eat  them  all !  There  is  an  energy,  an  elasticity,  in 
his  mind  which  enables  him  to  seize  on  and  analyse  all 
questions,  pushing  them  to  their  legitimate  consequences. 
Every  subject  in  Davy's  mind  has  the  principle  of 
vitality.  Living  thoughts  spring  up  like  turf  under 
his  feet."  It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  Davy's  con- 
nection with  that  remarkable  literary  coterie  which 
made  its  headquarters  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bristol 
in    the   last   year    of   the  eighteenth   century,  strongly 


56  iirMPiinv  ivwv, 

stiiiiuliited  his  intclleetunl  activity.  In  one  of  his  poems 
written  at  this  period  he  speaks  of  having 

"  felt  the  wanntli, 
The  gentle  inHuenoe  of  congenial  souls, 
Wliose  kindivtl  hopes  have  cheei'd  inc  " 

Tliat  these  "  conufcnial  souls  '  in  tui-n  felt  his  influence 
no  less  strongly  will  be  ap[)arent  from  the  following 
lott<^rs — the  first  from  Southey,  who  then  resided  at 
West  bury,  the  others  from  Coleridge,  Avho  had  just 
removed  to  the  Lake  country  : — 

"Thursday,  Mm/  Ath,  179!). 

"  \o\\v  '  Mount's  Bay,'  my  dear  Davy,  disappointed  me  in  its 
length.  I  expected  more,  and  wished  more,  because  what  there 
is  is  good  ;  there  is  a  certain  swell,  an  elevation  in  the  flow  of  the 
blank  verse,  which,  I  do  not  know  how,  produces  an  effect  like 
the  fulness  of  an  organ-swell  upon  the  feeling.  I  have  felt  it 
from  the  rhythm  of  Milton,  and  sometimes  of  Akenside,  a  pleasure 
wholly  independent  from  that  derived  from  the  soul  of  the  poetry, 
arising  from  the  beauty  of  the  body  only.  I  believe  a  man  who 
did  not  understand  a  word  of  it  would  feel  pleasure  and  emotion 
at  hearing  such  lines  read  with  the  tone  of  a  poet     .     .     . 

"  I  must  not  press  the  subject  of  poetry  upon  you,  only  do  not 
lose  the  feeling  and  the  habit  of  seeing  all  things  with  a  poet's 
eye  ;  at  llristol  you  have  a  good  society,  l)ut  not  a  man  who 
knows  anything  of  poetry.  Dr.  Beddoe.s'  taste  is  very  pessimism. 
Cottle  only  likes  what  his  friends  and  himself  write.  Every 
person  fancies  himself  competent  to  pronounce  upon  the  merits 
of  a  poem,  and  yet  no  trade  requires  so  long  an  apprenticeship, 
or  involves  the  necessity  of  such  multifarious  knowledge    .    .     . 

'■  At  Lymouth  I  .saw  Tobin's  friend  Williams  who  opened 
upon  me  ^^^th  an  account  of  the  gaseous  oxide.  I  had  the 
advantage  of  him,  having  felt  what  he  it  seems  had  only  seen. 
Lymouth  where  he  is  fixed  is  certainly  the  most  beautiful  place 
1  have  seen  in  England,  so  beautiful  that  all  the  after-scenes 
come  flat  and  uninteresting.  The  Valley  of  Stones  is  about  half 
a  mile  distant,  a  strange  and  magnificent  place,  which  ought  to 
have  filled  the  whole  neighbourhoo  I  with  traditions  of  giants, 
devils,  and   magicians,  but   I   could   find   none,   not   even  a  lie 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  57 

preserved.  I  know  too  little  of  natural  history  to  hypothesize 
upon  the  cause  of  this  valley  ;  it  appeared  to  me  that  nothing 
but  vpater  could  have  so  defleshed  and  laid  bare  the  bones  of  the 
earth— that  any  inundation  which  could  have  overtopped  these 
heights  must  have  deluged  the  kingdom  ;  but  the  opposite  hills 
are  clothed  with  vegetable  soil  and  verdure,  therefore  the  cause 
must  have  been  partial  -a  waterspout  might  have  occasioned  it 
perhaps — and  there  my  conjectures  rested,  or  rather  took  a  new 
direction  to  the  pre-Adamite  kings,  the  iiends  who  married 
Diocletian's  fifty  daughters — their  giant  progeiiy,  old  Merlin  and 
the  builders  of  the  Giant's  Causeway. 

"For  the  next  Anthology  I  project  a  poem  on  our  Clifton 
rocks  ;  the  scenery  is  fresh  in  my  sight,  and  these  kind  of  poems 
derive  a  more  interesting  cast  as  recollections  than  as  immediate 
pictures.    Farewell.    Yours  truly,  "  Robert  Southey." 

"Keswick,  Friday  Evening,  Jidy  25,  1800. 

"  My  dear  Davy, — Work  hard,  and  if  success  do  not  dance 
up  like  the  bubbles  in  the  salt  (with  the  spirit  lamp  under  it*) 
may  the  Devil  and  his  dam  take  success  !  My  dear  fellow  !  from 
the  window  before  me  there  is  a  great  camp  of  mountains.  Giants 
seem  to  have  pitched  their  tents  there.  Each  mountain  is  a 
giant's  tent,  and  how  the  light  streams  from  them  !  Davy  !  I 
ache  for  you  to  be  with  us. 

"  W.  Wordsworth  is  such  a  lazy  fellow,  that  I  bemire  myself 
by  making  promises  for  him  :  the  moment  I  received  your  letter, 
I  wrote  to  him.  He  will,  I  hope,  write  immediately  to  Biggs 
and  Cottle.  At  all  events,  these  i)oems  must  not  as  yet  be 
delivered  up  to  them,  because  that  beautiful  poem, '  The  Brothers,' 
which  I  read  to  you  in  Paul  Street,  I  neglected  to  deliver  to  you, 
and  that  must  begin  the  volume.  I  trust,  however,  that  I  have 
invoked  the  sleeping  bard  with  a  spell  so  potent,  that  he  will 
awake  and  deliver  up  that  8vvc>rd  of  .Vrgantyr,  which  is  to  rive 
the  enchanter  Gaudyverse  from  his  crown  to  his  feet. 

"  What  did  you  think  of  that  case  I  translated  for  you  from 
the  German  ?  That  I  was  a  well-meaning  sutor  who  had  ultra- 
crepidated  with  more  zeal  than  wisdom  !  !  I  give  myself  credit 
for  that  word  '  ultra-crepidated,'  it  started  up  in  my  brain  like 
a  creation     .     .     . 

*  Doubtless  an  allusion  to  the  decomposition  of  ammonium  nitrate, 
which  Coleridge  had  frequently  seen  Davy  effect. 


58  urMPjiHV  ivwv, 

"  We  dniiik  tea  tlie  night  before  I  left  Grasmere,  on  the  island 
in  that  lovely  lake  ;  our  kettle  swung  over  the  fire,  hanging  from 
the  hrancii  of  a  fir-tree,  and  I  lay  and  saw  the  woods,  and  moun- 
tains, and  lake  all  treml)ling,  and  as  it  were  idealized  through  the 
subtle  smoke,  which  rose  up  from  the  clear  red  embers  of  the  fir- 
apples  which  wc  had  collected  ;  afterwards  we  made  a  glorious 
bonfire  on  the  margin,  by  some  eMer  bushes,  whose  twigs  heaved 
and  sol)bed  in  the  uprushing  column  of  smoke,  and  the  image  of 
the  bonfire,  and  of  us  that  danced  round  it,  ruddy,  laughing  faces 
in  the  twilight ;  the  image  of  this  in  a  lake,  smooth  as  that  sea, 
to  whose  waves  the  Son  of  God  had  said,  Peace  I  May  God,  and 
all  his  sons,  love  you  as  I  do.  "S.  T.  Coleridce. 

"  Sara  desires  her  kind  remembrances.  Hartley  is  a  spirit 
that  dances  on  an  aspen  leaf :  the  air  that  yonder  sallow-faced 
and  yawning  tourist  is  breathing,  is  to  my  babe  a  perpetual 
nitrous  oxide     .     .     ." 

"  Thursday  night,  Oct.  9,  1800. 

"My  dear  Davy,— I  was  right  glad,  glad  with  a  stagger  of 
the  heart,  to  see  your  writing  again.  Many  a  moment  have  1 
had  all  my  France  and  England  curiosity  .suspended  and  lost, 
looking  in  the  advertisement  front  column  of  the  ^lorning  Post 
Gazetteer,  for  3f):  Davifs  Galvanic  habitudes  of  charcoal.  Upon 
my  soul,  I  believe  there  is  not  a  letter  in  those  words  round  which 
a  world  of  imagery  does  not  circunivolve  ;  your  room,  the  garden, 
the  cold  bath,  the  mooidit  rocks  .  .  .  and  dreams  of  wonderful 
things  attiiched  to  your  name  ...  I  pray  you  do  write 
to  me  immediately,  and  tell  rne  what  you  mean  by  the  possi- 
bility of  your  assuming  a  new  occupation  ;  have  you  been  suc- 
cessful to  the  extent  of  your  expectations  in  your  late  chemical 
inquiries  ?    .     .     . 

"  As  to  myself,  I  am  doing  little  worthy  the  relation.  I  write 
for  Stuart  in  the  Morning  Post,  and  I  am  compelled  Ijy  the  god 
Pecunia,  which  was  one  name  of  the  supreme  Jupiter,  to  give  a 
volume  of  letters  from  Germany,  which  will  be  a  decent  lounge 
book,  and  not  an  atom  more.  The  Christabel  was  running  up 
to  1,300  lines,  and  was  so  much  admired  by  Wordsworth,  that  he 
thought  it  indelicate  to  print  two  volumes  with  his  name,  in 
which  so  much  of  another  man's  was  included  .  .  .  We  mean 
to  publish  the  Christabel,  therefore,  with  a  long  blank-verse  of 
Wordsworth's,  entitled  The  Pedlar  [afterwards  changed  to  '  The 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  69 

Excursion  '].  I  assure  you  I  think  very  differently  of  Christahel. 
I  would  rather  have  vi^ritten  Ruth  and  Nature's  Lady,  than  a 
million  such  poems.  But  why  do  I  calumniate  my  own  spirit  by 
saying  I  would  rather  1  God  knows  it  is  as  delightful  to  me  that 
they  are  written    .     ,     , 

"  Wordsworth  is  fearful  you  have  been  much  teazed  by  the 
printers  on  his  account,  but  you  can  sympathise  with  him    .     .     . 

"  When  you  write,  and  do  write  soon,  tell  me  how  I  can  get 
your  Essay  on  the  Nitrous  Oxide  .  .  .  Are  your  galvanic 
discoveries  important  ?  What  do  they  lead  to  1  All  this  is  nltrn 
crepidation,  but  would  to  heaven  I  had  as  much  knowledge  as  I 
have  sympathy !    .    .    . 

"  God  bless  you  !    Your  most  affectionate 

"  S.  T.  Coleridge." 

"  Greta  Hall,  Tuesday  night,  Dec.  2,  1800. 

"  My  dear  Davy,—  By  an  accident  I  did  not  receive  your 
letter  till  this  evening.  I  would  that  you  had  added  to  the 
account  of  your  indisposition  the  probable  causes  of  it.  It  has 
left  me  anxious  whether  or  no  you  have  not  exposed  yourself 
to  unwholesome  influences  in  your  chemical  pursuits.  There  are 
few  beings  both  of  hope  and  performance,  but  few  who  combine 
the  'are'  and  the  'will  be.'  For  God's  sake,  therefore,  my  dear 
fellow,  do  not  rip  open  the  bird  that  lays  the  golden  eggs     .     .     . 

"  At  times,  indeed,  I  would  fain  be  somewhat  of  a  more 
tangible  utility  than  I  am  ;  but  so  I  suppose  it  is  with  all  of  us — 
one  while  cheerful,  stirring,  feeling  in  resistance  nothing  but  a 
joy  and  a  stimulus  ;  another  while  drowsy,  self-distrusting,  prone 
to  rest,  loathing  our  own  self-promises,  withering  our  own  hopes 
— our  hopes,  the  vitality  and  cohesion  of  our  being  ? 

"I  purpose  to  have  Christabel  published  by  itself — this  I 
publish  with  confidence— but  my  travels  in  Gerinany  come  from 
me  now  with  mortal  pangs. 

"Wordsworth  has  nearly  finished  the  concluding  poem.  It 
is  of  a  mild,  unimposing  character,  but  full  of  beauties  to 
those  short-necked  men  who  have  their  hearts  sufficiently  near 
their  heads — the  relative  distance  of  which  (according  to  citizen 
Tourder,  the  French  translator  of  Sj>allanzani)  determines  the 
sagacity  or  stupidity  of  all  bipeds  and  quadrupeds.     .     .     . 

"  God  love  you  ! 
"  S.  T.  Colerid(;e." 


60  lllMl'llliY    DAW, 

"No  man  ever  liiid  i^ouiiis  who  did  not  aim  to 
exocutc  moro  tliuii  ho  was  able."  So  wrote  Davy  in  one 
of  his  early  note-books ;  and  of  no  man  was  this  more 
true  than  of  Davy  himself  Busy  as  ho  was  with  experi- 
mental research  at  this  time,  his  mind  was  by  no  moans 
wholly  occupied  with  it.  Chanf(e  of  mental  occupation 
was,  indeed,  a  necessity  to  him.  At  no  period  of  his 
life  could  he  exercise  that  power  of  sustained  and  con- 
centrated thouL,dit  which  so  strikingly  characterised 
Newton  or  Dalton  or  Faraday.  The  following  scheme  of 
intellectual  work  which  he  marked  out  for  himself 
shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Bristol,  is  characteristic  of 
the  restless,  changeful  activity  of  his  mind: — 

''  Resolatio7i :  To  work  two  hours  with  pen  before 
breakfast  on  the  '  Lover  of  Nature  ' ;  and  '  The  Feelings 
of  Kldon'  from  six  till  eio'lit ;  from  nine  till  two  in 
experiments;  from  four  to  six,  reading ;  seven  till  ten, 
metaphysical  reading  (i.e.  '  System  of  the  Universe ')." 
The  "  Lover  of  Nature  "  and  "  The  FeeHngs  of  Eldon  " 
were  two  among  the  half-do;^en  romances  he  projected 
at  one  time  or  other,  and  of  which  fragments  were  found 
amongst  his  papers,  and  by  means  of  which  he  intended 
to  inculcate  his  own  metaphysical  and  philosophical 
ideas  and  his  views  on  education  and  the  development 
of  character.  J)r.  John  Davy  tells  us  that  his  note-books 
at  this  period  were  not  less  characteristic ;  "  they  contain, 
mixed  together,  without  the  least  regard  to  order, 
schemes  and  minutes  of  experiments,  passing  thoughts 
of  various  kinds,  lines  of  poetry  (but  these  are  in  small 
proportion),  fragments  of  stories  and  romances,  meta- 
physical fragments,  and  sketches  of  philosophical 
essays." 

Many  of  these  jottings  and  reflections  are  evidently 
based  on  his  own  experience,  and  hence  serve  to  illustrate 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  61 

his  temperament  and  the  workings  of  his  mind.     In  an 
essay  on  "  Genius,"  written  at  this  time,  he  says : — 

"  Gi'eat  powers  have  never  been  exerted  independent  of  strong 
feelings.  The  rapid  arrangements  of  ideas,  from  their  various 
analogies  to  the  equally  rapid  comparisons  of  these  analogies, 
with  facts  uniformly  occurring  during  the  progress  of  discovery, 
have  existed  only  in  those  minds  where  the  agency  of  strong 
and  various  motives  is  perceived-  of  motives  modifying  each 
other,  mingling  with  each  other,  and  producing  that  fever  of 
emotion,  which  is  the  joy  of  existence  and  the  consciousness 
of  life." 

The     followinof     extracts     relate     to     science     and 
philosophy  : — 


'O 


"  Philosophy  is  simple  and  intelligible.  We  owe  confused 
systems  to  men  of  vague  and  obscure  ideas." 

"We  ought  to  reason  from  effects  alone.  False  philosophy 
has  uniformly  depended  upon  making  use  of  words  which  signify 
no  definite  ideas." 

"Experimental  science  hardly  ever  affords  us  more  than 
approximations  to  truth  ;  and  whenever  many  agents  are  con- 
cerned we  are  in  great  danger  of  being  mistaken." 

"  Scepticism  in  regard  to  theory  is  what  we  ought  most 
rigorously  to  adhere  to." 

"  The  feeling  generally  connected  with  new  facts  enables  us 
to  reason  more  rapidly  upon  them,  and  is  peculiarly  active  in 
calling  up  analogies." 

"  Probabilities  are  the  most  we  can  hope  for  in  our  generalisa- 
tion, and  whenever  we  can  trace  the  connection  of  a  series  of 
facts,  without  being  obliged  to  imagine  certain  relations,  we  may 
esteem  ourselves  fortunate  in  our  approximations." 

"  One  use  of  physical  science  is,  that  it  gives  definite  ideas." 

To  the  same  period  belongs  the  sketch  or  plan  of 
a  poem,  in  blank  verse,  in  six  books,  on  the  deliverance 
of  the  Israelites  from  Egypt,  which  either  Sou  they  or 


62        .  iirMiMiin'  daw, 

Colorid^'o   li:ul   [tro[Kt.st'cl   Lo  liiiii  as  a  joint-work,   frag- 
ments of  which  are  to  be  found  amongst  the  note-books. 

Towards  tlie  end  of  ISOO  Davy's  visions  of  future 
greatness  began  to  take  more  detinitc  shape.  This  is 
hinted  at  in  the  letter  from  Coleridge  of  October  9th, 
LSOO,  ah'oady  given,  and  also  in  one  to  his  mother,  dated 
September  '27l\\,  bSOO,  in  which  he  says,  "My  future 
prospects  are  of  a  very  brilliant  nature,  and  they  have 
become  more  brilliant  since  I  last  wrote  to  you  ;  but 
wherever  there  is  uncertainty  I  shall  refrain  from 
anticipating." 

In  a  few  nionths  the  uncertainty  was  practically  at 
an  end. 

He  had  been  drawn  into  the  OTeat  vortex  called 
London,  "  full,"  as  he  says  in  a  letter  to  Hope,  "  of  the 
expectation  of  scientitic  discovery  from  the  action  of 
mind  upon  mind  in  this  great  hot-bed  of  human  power." 
He  thus  informs  his  mother: — 

"  31  Si!  January,  1801. 

"My  dear  Mother, — During  the  last  three  weeks  I  have 
been  very  much  occupied  by  business  of  a  veiy  serious  nature. 
This  has  prevented  me  from  writing  to  you,  to  my  aunt,  and  to 
Kitty.  I  now  catch  a  few  moments  only  of  leisure  to  inform 
you  that  I  am  exceedingly  well,  and  that  I  have  had  proposals  of 
a  very  flattering  nature  to  induce  me  to  leave  the  Pneumatic 
Institution  for  a  permanent  establishment  in  London. 

'•  You  have  i)erbap3  heard  of  the  Royal  Philoso])hical  Institu- 
tion, established  by  Count  Punnford,  and  others  of  the  aristocracy. 
It  is  a  very  siilendid  estiblishment,  and  wants  only  a  combination 
of  talents  to  render  it  eminently  useful. 

'•  Count  Kumford  has  made  proposals  to  me  to  settle  myself 
there,  with  the  present  ai)pointment  of  assistant  lecturer  on 
chemistrj',  and  experimenter  to  the  Institute  ;  but  this  only  to 
prejmre  the  way  for  my  being  in  a  short  time  sole  professor  of 
chemistry,  &,c.  ;  an  appointment  as  honourable  as  any  scientific 
appointment  in  the  kingdom,  with  an  income  of  at  least  500/ 
a  year. 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  63 

'•  I  write  to-day  to  get  the  specific  terms  of  the  present 
appointment,  when  I  shall  determine  whether  I  shall  accept  of  it 
or  not.  Dr.  Beddoes  has  honourably  absolved  me  from  all  engage- 
ments at  the  Pneumatic  Institution,  provided  I  choose  to  quit  it. 
However.  I  have  views  here  which  I  am  loath  to  leave,  unless  for 
very  great  advantages. 

"  You  will  all,  I  dare  say,  be  glad  to  see  me  getting  amongst 
the  Eoynlists.  but  I  \\'\\\  accept  of  no  appointment  except  upon 
the  sacred  terras  of  independence.     .     .     . 

"  I  am  your  most  affectionate  son 

"  H.  Davy." 

In  tlie  middle  of  February  he  was  in  London  nego- 
tiating with  Riimford.  He  wrote  to  his  mother,  "  His 
proposals  have  not  been  unfair,  and  I  have  nearly  settled 
the  business."  How  the  business  was  actually  settled 
appears  from  the  follow^ing  extract  from  the  Minute 
Book  of  the  Royal  Institution  of  a  resolution  adopted  at 
a  Meeting  of  the  Managers  on  February  16th,  1801  :  — 

"  Resolved — That  Mr.  Humphry  Davy  be  engaged  in  the 
service  of  the  Royal  Institution,  in  the  capacities  of  Assistant 
Lecturer  in  Chemistry,  Director  of  the  Laboratory,  and  Assistant 
Editor  of  the  Journals  of  the  Institution,  and  that  he  be  allowed 
to  occupy  a  room  in  the  house,  and  be  furnished  with  coals  and 
candles ;  and  that  he  be  paid  a  salary  of  one  hundred  guineas 
per  annum." 

He  returned  to  Bristol  to  hand  over  his  charge  of 
the  Pneumatic  Institution,  and  to  take  leave  of  his 
many  friends  in  that  city.  The  following  letter  to  Mr. 
Davies  Gilbert  is  interesting  and  characteristic : — 

"  Hotwells,  llcv'ch  8th,  1801. 
"  I  cannot  think  of  (putting  the  Pneumatic  Institution,  without 
giving  you  intimation  of  it  in  a  letter  ;  indeed,  I  believe  I  should 
have  done  this  some  time  ago,  had  not  the  hurry  of  business,  and 
the  fever  of  emotion  produced  by  the  prospect  of  novel  changes 
in  futurity,  destroyed  to  a  certain  extent  my  powers  of  consistent 
action. 


64  IirMPllHV    DAW. 

'•  \ On,  my  dear  Sir,  liavo  behaved  to  me  with  great  kindness, 
and  the  little  aliility  I  jmssess  you  have  very  much  contril)uted 
to  dovelope  ;  1  should  therefore  accuse  myself  of  ingratitude 
were  1  to  neglect  to  ask  your  appro! lation  of  the  measures  I 
liave  adt>pted  with  regard  to  the  change  of  my  situation,  and  the 
enlargement  of  my  views  in  life. 

"In  consequence  of  an  invitation  from  Count  Kumford,  given 
to  me  with  some  i)roposals  relative  to  the  lioyal  institution,  I 
visited  London  in  the  middle  of  February,  where,  after  several 
conferences  with  that  gentleman,  I  was  invited  by  the  Managers 
of  the  Ixoyal  Institution  to  become  the  Director  of  their  labora- 
tory, and  their  Assistant  l^rofessor  of  Chemistry ;  at  the  same 
time  I  was  assured  that,  within  the  space  of  two  or  three  seasons, 
I  should  be  made  sole  Professor  of  Chemistry,  still  continuing 
Director  of  the  lal)oratory. 

"The  immediate  emolument  offered  was  sufficient  for  my 
wants  ;  and  the  sole  and  uncontrolled  use  of  the  ajiparatus  of  the 
Institution,  for  private  experiments,  was  to  be  granted  me.  The 
behaviour  of  Count  IJumford,  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  Mr.  Cavendish, 
and  the  other  ])rincipal  managers,  was  liberal  and  polite ;  and 
they  promised  me  any  apparatus  that  I  might  need  for  new 
experiments. 

"  The  time  required  to  be  devoted  to  the  services  of  the 
Institution  was  but  short,  being  limited  chiefly  to  the  A^anter  and 
spring.  The  emoluments  to  be  attached  to  the  office  of  sole 
Professor  of  Chemistry  are  great ;  and,  above  all,  the  situation  is 
permanent,  and  held  very  honourable. 

"  These  motives,  joined  to  the  approbation  of  Dr.  Beddoes,  who 
with  great  liberality  has  absolved  me  from  my  engagements  at 
the  Pneumatic  Institution,  and  the  strung  wishes  of  most  of  my 
friends  in  London  and  Bristol,  determined  my  conduct. 

"  Thus  I  am  quickly  to  be  transferred  to  London,  whilst  my 
sphere  of  action  is  considerably  enlarged,  and  as  much  power  as 
I  could  reasonably  ex])ect,  or  even  wish  for  at  my  time  of  life, 
secured  to  me  without  the  obligation  of  labouring  at  a  profession. 

"  The  Royal  Institution  will,  I  hope,  be  of  some  utility  to 
Society.  It  has  undoubtedly  the  capability  of  becoming  a  great 
instrument  of  moral  and  intellectual  improvement.  Its  funds 
are  very  great.  It  has  attached  to  it  the  feelings  of  a  great 
number  of  people  of  fashion  and  property,  and  consetiuently  may 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  65 

be  the  means  of  employing,  to  useful  purposes,  money  which 
would  otherwise  be  squandered  in  luxury,  and  in  the  production 
of  unnecessary  labour.  Count  Rumford  jirofesses  that  it  will  be 
kept  distinct  from  party  politics  ;  I  sincerely  wish  that  such  may 
be.  the  case,  though  I  fear  it.  As  for  myself,  I  shall  become 
attached  to  it  full  of  hope,  with  the  resolution  of  employing  all 
my  feeble  powers  towards  promoting  its  true  interests. 

"  So  much  of  my  paper  has  been  given  to  pure  egotism,  that 
I  have  but  little  room  left  to  say  anything  concerning  the  state 
of  science.     .     .     . 

"  Here,  at  the  Pneumatic  Institution,  the  nitrous  oxide  has 
evidently  been  of  use.  Dr.  Beddoes  is  proceeding  in  the  execution 
of  his  great  popular  physiological  work,  which,  if  it  equals  the 
plan  he  holds  out,  ought  to  supersede  every  work  of  the  kind. 

"I  have  been  pursuing  Galvanism  with  labour,  and  some 
success.  I  have  been  able  to  produce  galvanic  power  from  simple 
plates,  by  eflFecting  on  them  different  oxidating  and  de-oxidating 
processes ;  but  on  this  point  I  cannot  enlarge  in  the  small  re- 
maining space  of  paper.     .    .    . 

"  It  will  give  me  sincere  pleasure  to  hear  from  you,  when  you 
are  at  leisure.  After  the  11  tli  I  shall  be  in  town — my  direction, 
Koyal  Institution,  Albemarle  Street.  I  am,  my  dear  friend, 
with  respect  and  affection,  «  Yours 

"Humphry  Davy." 

With  Davy's  departure  we,  too,  may  take  our  leave 
of  the  Pneumatic  Institution.  Like  most  of  Dr. 
Beddoes's  performances,  it — to  use  Davy's  words — failed 
to  equal  the  plan  its  projector  held  out.  It  struggled 
on  for  awhile,  living  on  such  success  as  Davy  had 
brought  it,  and  ultimately  died  of  inanition.  Its 
founder  ended  his  days  a  disappointed  man,  and  on 
his  deathbed  wrote  to  his  former  assistant,  in  connection 
with  whom  his  memory  mainly  lives,  "  like  one  who  has 
scattered  abroad  the  Avena  fataa  of  knowledge,  from 
which  neither  branch,  nor  blossom,  nor  fruit,  has  resulted, 
I  require  the  consolations  of  a  friend." 

E 


(k; 


rilAlTKR    IV. 

TllK     1K)YA1>     INSTITUTION. 

Tin:  Koyiil  Institution,  as  originally  conceived,  was  an 
cstalilislmient  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor.  It  was 
founded  at  the  close  of  the  last  century  by  Benjamin 
Thomson,  a  Royalist  American  in  the  service  of  the 
Elector  Palatine  of  Bavaria,  by  whom  he  was  created 
a  Count  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire.  Count  Rumford, 
as  he  is  connnonly  called,  was  a  practical  philanthropist 
and  a  man  of  science,  best  known  to  this  age  by  his 
association  with  the  present-day  doctrine  of  the  nature 
of  heat ;  and  to  his  contemporaries,  by  his  constant 
efforts  to  apply  science  to  domestic  economy.  In  1796 
Rumford  put  forth  a  "  proposal  for  forming  in  London 
by  private  subscription  an  establishment  for  feeding  th6 
poor,  and  giving  them  useful  employment,  and  also  for 
furnishing  food  at  a  cheap  rate  to  others  who  may 
stand  in  need  of  such  assistance,  connected  with  an 
institution  for  introducing  and  bringing  forward  into 
general  use  new  inventions  and  improvements,  par- 
ticularly such  as  relate  to  the  management  of  heat  and 
the  saving  of  fuel,  and  to  various  other  mechanical 
contrivances  by  which  domestic  comfort  and  economy 
may  be  promoted."  Rumford,  as  he  says  in  one  of  his 
letters  to  Thomas  Bernard — another  practical  philan- 
thropist, and  one  of  his  earliest  associates  in  the  under- 
taking here  referred  to — was  "  deeply  impressed  wdth  the 
necessity  of  rendering  it  fashionable  to  care  for  the 
poor   and   indigent."      The   immediate   result   was   the 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  (j  r 

foundation  of  the  Society  for  Bettering  the  Condition 
of  the  Poor  ;  but  as  regards  the  associated  Institution, 
it  was  eventually  considered  that  it  would  be  "  too 
conspicuous,  and  too  interesting  and  important,  to  be 
made  an  appendix  to  any  other  existing  establish- 
ment, and  consequently  it  must  stand  alone,  and  on 
its  own  proper  basis." 

In  1799,  Rumford  conferred  with  the  Committee 
of  the  Society  for  Bettering  the  Condition  of  the  Poor 
a,s  to  the  steps  to  be  taken  to  found,  "  by  private 
subscription,  a  public  institution  for  diifusing  the 
knowledge  and  facilitating  the  general  and  speedy 
introduction  of  new  and  useful  mechanical  inventions 
and  improvements ;  and  also  for  teaching,  by  regular 
courses  of  philosophical  lectures  and  experiments,  the 
applications  of  the  new  discoveries  in  science  to  the 
improvement  of  arts  and  manufactures,  and  in  facili- 
tating the  means  of  procuring  the  comforts  and  con- 
veniences of  life."  The  Institution  was  duly  launchedj 
in  March,  1799,  with  Sir  Joseph  Banks  as  Chairman 
of  Managers,  Count  Rumford  as  Secretary,  and  Mr. 
Thomas  Bernard,  the  promoter  of  the  Institution  for 
the  Protection  and  Instruction  of  Climbing  Boys,  and 
of  the  Society  for  the  Relief  of  Poor  Neighbours  in 
Distress,  as  Treasurer.  The  second  volume  of  the 
"  Reports  of  the  Society  for  Bettering  the  Condition 
of  the  Poor  "  contains  a  long  account  of  the  Institution, 
"  so  far  as  it  may  be  expected  to  affect  the  poor,"  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  Bernard,  concerning  which  Dr.  Bence 
Jones,  a  former  Secretary  of  the  Institution,  drily 
remarks,  "  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  Royal  Insti- 
tution of  the  present  day  was  ever  intended  to  resemble 
the  picture  given  of  it  in  this  Report." 

Rumford,  from  the  outset,  threw  himself  with  great 
E  2 


li.s  nuMPnnv  daw, 

zeal  mid  anlour  into  the  work  of  organising'  and  starting 
tlio  Institution,  and  it  was  mainly  by  his  energy  and 
adnnnistrative  ability  that  so  speedy  a  beginning  Avas 
made.  Mr.  MclHsh's  liousc  in  Albemarle  Street  was 
b(^nght,  and  its  apartments  were  (luiekly  transformed 
into  lecture  rooins,  model  rooms,  library,  ofhees,  etc.  In 
May  "a  good  cook  was  engaged  for  the  improvement  of 
culinary  advancement — one  object,  and  not  the  least 
important — for  the  Royal  Institution."  Rumford  was 
requested  by  the  Managers  to  live  in  the  house,  to 
suj>erintend  the  servants,  to  preserve  order  and  decorum, 
and  to  control  the  expenses  of  housekeeping. 

Towards  the  end  of  1799  Dr.  Garnett  was  secured 
as  Lecturer  and  Scientific  Secretar3^  Thomas  Garnett, 
a  physician,  who  at  one  time  practised  at  Harrogate, 
and  who  is  known  to  chemists  for  his  researches  into  the 
composition  of  the  Harrogate  mineral  waters,  was  at 
the  time  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Experimental 
Philosophy  at  Anderson's  Institution  in  GlasgoAv.  He 
had  a  considerable  reputation  as  a  lecturer,  on  the 
strength  of  which  he  was  invited  by  Rumford  to  come 
to  London.  Garnett's  lectures  began  in  March,  LSOO, 
in  what  is  now  the  upper  Library  of  the  Institution, 
and  which  had  been  fitted  up  to  accommodate  the 
greatest  possible  number  of  auditors  "  Avith  a  greater 
deference  to  their  curiosity  than  to  their  convenience." 

Althouijh  not  altofjether  unsuccessful  at  the  Insti- 
tution,  Garnett — in  spite  of  "  the  Northern  accent  which 
he  still  retained  in  a  slight  degree,  and  which  rendered 
his  voice  somewhat  inharmonious  to  a  London  audience  " 
— was  hardly  the  type  of  man  required  for  such  a  place, 
and  differences  soon  arose  between  him  and  Rumford. 
To  add  to  his  difficulties  he  had,  just  prior  to  his  removal 
from  Glasgow,  lost  his  wife,  and  the  event  seems  to  have 


POET  AND   PHILOSOPHER.  69 

wholly  unnerved  him.  He  grew  listless  and  melancholy  ; 
and  eventually,  in  1801,  he  was  called  upon  to  resign. 
After  leaving  the  Institution,  he  struggled  on  for  a  time, 
giving  courses  of  scientific  lectures  in  his  own  house, 
and  at  Tom's  Coftee-House  in  the  City,  and  seeking  for 
practice  as  a  physician.  Sick  in  mind  and  weak  in 
body,  he  soon  broke  down,  and  died  in  1802,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-six,  leaving  his  children  penniless.  The 
Managers  so  far  bettered  the  condition  of  the  poor  as  to 
subscribe,  on  behalf  of  the  Institution,  £50  towards  the 
publication  of  his  posthumous  work  on  the  "  Laws  of 
Animal  Life,"  and  to  allow  the  book  to  be  dedicated  to 
them. 

The  accompanying  illustration  (p.  70),  from  a 
drawing  by  Gillray,  entitled  "  Pneumatic  Experiments 
at  the  Royal  Institution,"  shows  the  theatre  during  a 
lecture  b}^  Garnett,  with  Davy  acting  as  assistant.  Sir 
John  Hippesley  is  represented  as  breathing  the 
"  pleasure-giving  air."  The  standing  figure  near  the 
door  is  Rumford,  and  among  the  audience  are  Isaac 
Disraeli,  Lord  Stanhope,  Earl  Pomfrct,  and  Sir  H. 
Englefield. 

Accounts  differ  as  to  the  precise  means  by  which 
Davy  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  Count  Rumford,  nor 
is  it  very  important  to  know  whether  it  was  through  the 
intervention  of  Davies  Gilbert,  or  Dr.  Hope,  or  Mr. 
Underwood,  or,  as  was  most  probably  the  case,  of  all 
three. 

In  a  letter  to  Hope  now  before  me  Davy  Avrites : — • 

"  I  believe  it  is  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  your  kind  mention 
of  me  to  Count  Rumford,  that  I  occupy  my  present  situation  in 
the  Royal  Institution.  I  ought  to  be  very  thankful  to  you  ;  for 
most  of  my  wishes  through  life  are  accomplished,  as  I  am  enabled 
to  pursue  ray  favourite  study,  and  at  the  same  time  to  be  of  some 
little  utifity  to  Society." 


Tw^^msw 


.^', 


*;.^i^\ 


^ 


i-i^^^- 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  71 

This  much,  at  least,  is  certain :  there  was  an  absohite 
agreement  among  those  who  had  the  best  means  of 
judging  that  no  better  appointment  was  possible.  And 
yet,  if  we  are  to  credit  Dr.  Paris,  the  first  impression 
produced  on  Rumford  by  Davy's  personal  appearance 
was  highly  unfavourable,  and  the  Count  would  not 
allow  him  to  lecture  in  the  theatre  until  he  had  given 
a  specimen  of  his  abilities  in  the  smaller  lecture-room, 
which  old  Jtahitues  of  the  Royal  Institution  well  re- 
member. Dr.  Paris  adds  that  his  first  lecture  entirely 
removed  every  prejudice,  and  at  its  conclusion  Rum- 
ford  exclaimed,  "Let  him  command  any  arrange- 
ments which  the  Institution  can  attbrd."  And  he 
was  accordingly  on  the  next  day  promoted  to  the 
theatre. 

Six  weeks  after  his  arrival,  he  gave  his  first  public 
lecture.  How  he  acquitted  himself,  may  be  gleaned  from 
the  following  account,  given  under  the  heading  of  the 
"Royal  Institution  of  Great  Britain"  in  the  PJtilo- 
sopJtical  Magazine,  vol.  x.,  p.  281  (1801)  :— 

"  It  must  give  pleasure  to  our  readers  to  learn  that  this  new 
and  useful  institution,  the  object  of  which  is  the  application  of 
science  to  the  common  purposes  of  life,  may  be  now  considered 
as  settled  on  a  firm  basis.     .     .     . 

"  We  have  also  to  notice  a  course  of  lectures,  just  commenced 
at  the  institution,  on  a  new  branch  of  philosophy — we  mean  the 
Galvanic  Phenomena.  On  this  interesting  branch  Mr.  Davy  (late 
.of  Bristol)  gave  the  first  lecture  on  the  2.')th  of  April.  He  began 
with  the  history  of  Galvanism,  detailed  the  successive  discoveries, 
and  described  the  different  methods  of  accumulating  galvanic 
influence  .  .  .  He  showed  the  effects  of  galvanism  on  the 
legs  of  frogs,  and  exhibited  some  interesting  experiments  on  the 
galvanic  effects  on  the  solutions  of  metals  in  acids.     .     .     . 

"  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  Count  Rumford,  and  other  distinguished 
philosophers  were  present.  The  audience  were  highly  gratified, 
and  testified  their  satisfaction  by  general  applause.     Mr.  Davy, 


72  lirMlMlKV    DAW, 

who  appears  to  be  very  young,  aciiuitted  himself  admirably  well ; 
from  the  sparklin.i,'  intelligence  of  his  eye,  his  animated  manner, 
and  tlie  tout  mitiDibh',  we  have  no  doubt  of  his  attaining  a 
dist  inguishcd  eminence." 

Tlic  Miinairors  were  so  far  satisfied,  that  at  a  meeting 


'o 


held  on  June  1st  they  passed  the  following  resolutions  : — 

••  Kesolved  —  That  .Mr.  Humphry  Davy,  ])irector  of  the 
C'hemicjil  Laboratory,  and  Assistant  Lecturer  in  Chemistry, 
has.  .-^inco  ho  has  been  employed  at  the  Institution,  given  .satis- 
factory proofs  iif  his  talents  as  a  Lecturer." 

"  l{esolved--That  he  be  appointed,  and  in  future  denominated. 
Lecturer  in  Chemistry  at  the  lloyal  Institution,  io-stead  of  con- 
tinuing to  occupy  the  i)lace  of  Assistant  Lecturer,  which  he  has 
hitherto  filled." 

In  the  following  July,  Dr.  Young  ("  Phenomenon 
Young,"  as  he  was  called  at  Cambridge),  the  great 
exponent  of  the  Undulatory  Theory  of  Light,  was  engaged 
as  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy,  Editor  of  the 
Journals,  and  General   Superintendent  of  the  House.^ 

At  a  meeting  held  in  the  same  month,  the  Managers 

'•  liesolved — That  a  Course  of  Lectures  on  the  Chemical 
Principles  of  the  Art  of  Tanning  be  given  by  Mr.  Davy.  To 
commence  the  second  of  November  next  ;  and  that  respectable 
persons  of  the  trade,  who  shall  be  recommended  by  Proprietors 
of  the  Li.stitution,  be  admitted  to  these  lectures  gratis." 

To  order  a  young  man  of  tAventy-two,  who  had  probably 
never  seen  the  inside  of  tannery,  to  give  an  account  of 
the  art  and  mystery  of  leather-making,  would  seem  to 
savour  somewhat  of  what  Coleridge  would  style  "  ultra- 
crejndation ,"  and  accordingly  the  Managers  further 

"  Resolved— That  Mr.  Davy  have  permission  to  absent  himself 
during   the   months   of  July,   August,   and   September   for    the 

*  Young's  connection  with  the  Royal  Institution  was  comparatively 
hrief.  On  July  -Ith,  1803,  it  was  resolved  "  That  Dr.  Young  be  paid  the 
balance  of  two  years'  complete  salary,  and  that  his  engagement  with  the 
Institution  ternrinate  fr  jm  this  time." 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  73 

purpose  of  making  himself  more  particularly  acquainted  witli  the 
practical  part  of  the  business  of  tanning,  in  order  to  prepare 
himself  for  giving  the  above-mentioned  course  of  lectures." 

Lectures  on  "  The  Chemical  Principles  of  the  Process 
of  Tanning  Leather,  and  of  the  objects  that  must 
particularly  be  had  in  view  in  attempts  to  improve 
that  most  useful  art "  are  mentioned  in  Rumford's  first 
prosj^ectus,  and  the  foregoing  resolutions  were  probably 
passed  in  consequence.  Davy  did  a  considerable  amount 
of  experimental  work  in  connection  with  these  lectures, 
and  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Institution  contains  several 
short  communications  from  him  on  the  chemistry  of  the 
subject,  but  the  main  facts  he  discovered  are  contained 
in  a  memoir  read  to  the  Royal  Society  on  February  24th, 
1803,  and  published  in  the  Pldlosophical  Transactions 
of  that  year,  under  the  title  of  an  "  Account  of  Some 
Experiments  and  Observations  on  the  constituent  Parts 
of  certain  astringent  A^egetables ;  and  on  their  Operation 
in  Tanninof." 

Although  Davy,  by  his  earnestness,  his  knowledge, 
his  felicity  of  expression,  and  by  a  certain  dignity  of 
treatment  which  seemed  to  invest  even  the  homeliest 
subjects  with  unlooked-for  importance,  could  interest 
an  audience  on  almost  any  subject  he  brought  before 
them,  we  may  be  sure  that  his  soul  soon  sighed  for  a 
loftier  theme  than  leather.  He  found  it  on  the  occasion 
of  his  lecture  of  January  21st,  1802,  when  he  delivered 
the  introductory  discourse  of  that  session.  The  date, 
indeed,  is  a  red-letter  day  not  only  in  Davy's  history 
but  also  in  that  of  the  Royal  Listitution.  From  that 
time  the  position  of  the  Listitution  in  the  scientific  and 
social  world  of  London  would  seem  to  be  assured. 

Its  affairs  up  to  this  time  had  been  gradually  going 
from  bad  to  worse.     The  enthusiasm  with  which  it  was 


74  lll'MIMIKV    1>\VV, 

Started  a  couple  of  years  back  had  apparently  spent  itself, 
and  Kmnford,  by  his  hauteur  and  high-handed  manage- 
ment, had  alienated  many  powerful  friends.  The  sub- 
scriptions, which  in  l.SOO  had  reached  £11,047,  had  fallen 
in  1S02  to  X2,!)99,  whilst  the  expenses  were  annually  in- 
creasing. The  outlook  was  gloomy  in  the  extreme,  and 
everything  seemed  to  portend  that  the  latest  scheme  for 
the  amelioration  of  humanity  was  about  to  share  the 
too  connnon  fate  of  such  projects.  The  young  man  of 
twenty-three,  however,  changed  all  this  as  if  by  the 
stroke  of  a  matj^ician's  wand.  No  Prince  Fortunatus 
could  have  done  more. 

His  theme  was  not  too  ambitious ;  it  would  be  con- 
sidered even  trite  and  commonplace  to-day,  and  the  man 
woidd  be  very  bold  or  very  simple  who  would  now 
attempt  to  deal  with  it  in  the  theatre  of  the  Royal 
Institution ;  for  this  introductory  lecture  was  nothing 
more  than  an  exordium  on  the  worth  of  science  as  an 
agent  in  the  improvement  of  society.  It  Avas,  and  was 
felt  to  be,  however,  an  apologia  for  the  very  existence 
of  the  Institution.  Rumford  and  his  fellow  managers 
would  seem  to  have  staked  everything  on  a  single  throw. 
Davy's  power  as  a  lecturer  had  been  noised  abroad,  and 
Ave  may  be  sure  that  Coleridge  and  his  other  friends 
did  not  keep  their  tongues  still.  Coleridge,  indeed,  told 
the  literary  world  that  he  assiduously  attended  Davy's 
lectures,  to  increase  his  stock  of  metaphors.  The  youth 
who  had  discovered  "  the  pleasure-producing  air  "  was 
talked  about  in  fashionable  circles  ;  and  Mr.  Bernard  and 
the  Count  used  their  persuasiveness,  and  Sir  Joseph 
Banks  his  social  power,  to  secure  for  him  the  most 
cultured  audience  in  London.  If  we  may  credit  Dr. 
Paris,  other  influences,  too,  Avere  at  Avork.  Davy's 
association  Avith  Beddoes  had  probably  gained  for  him 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  75 

the  goodwill  of  the  Tepidarians,  even  if  it  did  not 
actually  give  him  the  entree  to  the  Society;  and  these 
Red  Republicans,  Avhose" pious  orgies"  at  Old  Slaughter's 
Coffee-House  in  St.  Martin's  Lane  consisted  mainly  in 
libations  of  tea,  vied  with  the  Royalists  in  their  efforts 
to  pave  his  triumphal  way.  His  success  was  instant 
and  complete.  In  a  series  of  lofty  and  impassioned 
periods  he  traced  the  services  of  science  to  humanity ; 
he  dwelt  upon  its  dignity  and  nobility  as  a  pursuit, 
upon  its  value  as  a  moral  and  educational  force.  The 
small,  spare  youth,  with  his  earnestness,  his  eloquence, 
his  unaffected  manner,  the  play  of  his  mobile  features, 
his  speaking  eyes — "  eyes  which,"  as  one  of  his  fair 
auditors  was  heard  to  remark,  "  were  made  for  some- 
thing besides  poring  over  crucibles" — held  his  hearers 
spellbound  as  he  declaimed  such  sentences  as  these: — 

"  Individuals  influenced  by  interested  motives  or  false  views 
may  check  for  a  time  the  progress  of  knowledge  ;— moral  causes 
may  produce  a  momentary  slumber  of  the  public  spirit ;— the 
adoption  of  wild  and  dangerous  theories,  by  ambitious  or  dekided 
men,  may  throw  a  temporary  opprobrium  on  literature  :  but  the 
influence  of  true  philosophy  will  never  l)e  despised  ;  the  germs 
of  improvement  are  sown  in  minds,  even  where  they  are  not  per- 
ceived ;  and  sooner  or  later  the  springtime  of  their  growth  must 
arrive.  In  reasoning  concerning  the  future  hopes  of  the  human 
species,  we  may  look  forward  with  confldence  to  a  state  of  society, 
in  which  the  different  orders  and  classes  of  men  will  contribute 
more  effectually  to  the  support  of  each  other  than  they  have 
hitherto  done.  This  state,  indeed,  seems  to  be  approaching  fast ; 
for,  in  conset[uence  of  the  multiplication  of  the  means  of  instruc- 
tion the  man  of  science  and  the  manufacturer  are  daily  becoming 
more  assimilated  to  each  other.  The  artist,  who  formerly  afi'ected 
to  despise  scientific  principles,  because  he  was  incapable  of  per- 
ceiving the  advantages  of  them,  is  now  so  far  enlightened  as  to 
favour  the  adoption  of  new  processes  in  his  art,  whenever  they 
are  evidently  connected  with  the  diminution  of  labour  ;  and  the 
increase  of  projectors,  even  to  too  great  an  extent,  demonstrates 


76  HUMriiuv  n.wY, 

tlie  enthusia.sra  of  the  public  mind  in  its  search  after  improve- 
ment  

"Tlie  uiieiiual  division  of  property  and  of  labour,  tlie  ditfer- 
ences  of  rank  and  condition  amongst  mankind,  are  the  sources  of 
l)o\ver  in  civilised  life— its  moving  causes,  and  even  its  very  soul. 
In  considering  and  hoping;  that  the  human  species  is  capable  of 
becoming  more  enlightened  and  more  happy,  we  can  only  expect 
that  the  dillerent  parts  of  the  great  whole  of  society  should  be 
intimately  united  together,  by  means  of  knowledge  and  the  useful 
arts  ;  that  they  should  act  as  the  children  of  one  great  parent, 
with  one  determinate  end,  so  that  no  power  may  be  rendered  useless 
— no  exertions  thrown  away. 

"  In  this  view,  we  do  not  look  to  distant  ages,  or  amuse  our- 
selves with  brilliant  though  delusive  dreams,  concerning  the 
infinite  improvcabdity  of  man,  the  annihilation  of  labour,  disease, 
and  even  death,  but  we  reason  by  analogy  from  simple  facts,  we 
consider  only  a  state  of  human  progression  arising  out  of  its  present 
condition,— we  look  for  a  time  that  we  may  reasonably  exjject— 
KOK  A  I5i:i(;ht  day,  oi-  WHICH  we  already  behold  the  dawn." 

Those  who  may  read  these  sentences  will  either  smile 
at  their  seeming  archaism,  or  wonder  at  the  antiquity  of 
their  argument ;  for  the  lesson  which  Davy  inculcated 
at  the  beginning  of  the  century  is  still  at  its  close  dinned 
into  our  ears,  and  practically  all  the  stock  reasons  urged 
by  latter-day  writers  and  platform  speakers  on  technical 
education  and  the  abstract  value  of  science  are  to  be 
found  in  his  lectures.  IJut  the  circumstances  of  1<S02 
were  widely  ditfercnt  from  those  of  181)().  The  birth  of 
the  century  was  a  singularly  auspicious  time  for  science ; 
and  many  cultured  men  who  knew  nothing  of  science, 
yet  felt  in  a  dim  sort  of  way  that  it  was  destined  to  be  a 
mighty  factor  in  civilisation.  Davy's  words  struck  a 
sympathetic  chord ;  they  served  to  formulate  and  define 
ideas  of  which  all  who  lived  in  the  spirit  of  the  times  and 
shared  in  its  movement  must  have  been  conscious. 
Speaking  to  willing  and  receptive  ears,  and  with  every 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  77 

attribute  of  manner,  speech,  and  interest  in  his  favour, 
he  saw  his  chance;  and  with  a  practical  sagacity  beyond 
his  years,  he  seized  it. 

Davy's  triumph  is  recorded  in  many  contemporary 
notices,  and  it  lives  as  one  of  the  traditions  of  the  Royal 
Institution. 

Francis  Horner  thus  records  his  impressions  in  his 
journal,  under  date  March  31st,  1802  : — 

"  I  have  been  once  to  the  Royal  Institution  and  heard  Davy 
lecture  to  a  mixed  and  large  assembly  of  both  sexes,  to  the 
number  perhaps  of  three  hundred  or  more.  It  is  a  curious  scene  ; 
the  reflections  it  excites  are  of  an  ambiguous  nature,  for  the  pros- 
pect of  possible  good  is  mingled  with  the  observation  of  much 
actual  folly.  The  audience  is  assembled  by  the  influence  of 
fashion  tnerely ;  and  fashion  and  chemistry  form  a  very  in- 
congruous union.     .     .     . 

•'Davy's  style  of  lecturing  is  much  in  favour  of  himself,  though 
not,  perhaps,  entirely  suited  to  the  place  ;  it  has  rather  a  little 
awkwardness,  but  it  is  that  air  which  bespeaks  real  modesty  and 
good  sense  ;  he  is  only  awkward  because  he  cannot  condescend 
to  assume  that  theatrical  quackery  of  manner  which  might  have  a 
more  imposing  effect.  This  was  my  impression  from  his  lecture. 
I  have  since  (April  2nd)  met  Davy  in  company,  and  was  much 
pleased  with  him  ;  a  great  softness  and  propriety  of  manner, 
which  might  be  cultivated  into  elegance  ;  his  physiognomy  struck 
me  as  being  superior  to  what  the  science  of  chemistry,  on  its 
present  plan,  can  afford  exercise  for  ;  I  fancied  to  discover  in  it 
the  lineaments  of  poetical  feeling."  ("Memoirs  of  Horner,"  vol.  i., 
p.  182.) 

Davy's  friend  Purkis  has  left  us  the  following  still 
more  glowing  account : — 

"The  sensation  created  l)y  his  first  [second]  course  of  Lectures 
at  the  Institution,  and  the  enthusiastic  admiration  which  they 
obtained,  is  at  this  period  scarcely  to  be  imagined.  Men  of  the 
first  rank  and  talent, — the  literary  and  the  .scientific,  the  practical 
and  the  theoretical,  blue  stockings,  and  women  of  fashion,  the  old 
and  the  young,  all  crowded—  eagerly  crowded  the  lecture-room. 


78  IHMI'llltY    DAW, 

His  youth,  his  simplicity,  his  natural  eloquence,  his  chemiciil 
knowlodiio,  his  happy  illustriitions,  and  well-conducted  experi- 
ments, excited  universal  attention  and  unbotuided  applause, 
t'omplinients,  invitations,  and  presents  were  showered  upon  him 
in  aliundance  from  all  quarters;  his  society  was  courted  liyall, 
and  all  appeared  proud  of  his  acijuaintance.  .  .  A  talented  lady, 
since  well-known  in  the  literary  world,  addressed  him  anonym- 
ously in  a  iKU'in  of  considerable  lenj^th,  replete  with  delicate 
panegyric  and  <,'enuiue  feeling.  .  .  It  was  accompanied  with  a 
liandsome  ornamental  appendage  for  the  watch,  which  he  was 
requested  to  wear  when  he  delivered  his  next  lecture,  as  a  token  of 
having  received  the  poem  and  pardoned  the  freedom  of  the  writer." 

The  anoiiyiuous  poem  "replete  with  dehcate  panegyric 
and  oreuuine  feehnii' "  is  before  nie  as  I  write.  It  is  sifmed 
"  Fidchssinia,"  and  is  one  of  several  which  the  same 
talented  lady  addressed  to  him  at  different  times,  and 
-which  were  found  among  his  papers  at  his  death.  Some 
of  them,  as  sonnets,  are  of  considerable  merit,  and,  had 
space  permitted,  are  well  worthy  of  reproduction. 

The  Tcjiidarians — again  on  the  authority  of  Dr. 
Paris — Avcrc  deliyhted.  Sansfuine  in  the  success  of  their 
child— for  so  they  considered  Davy — they  purposely 
appointed  their  anniversar}^  festival  on  the  day  of  his 
anticipated  triumph.  Their  dinner  was  marked  by  every 
demonstration  of  hilarity,  and  the  day  was  ended  by  a 
masquerade  at  Ranelagh. 

Dr.  John  Davy,  it  should  be  said,  rather  sniffs  at  the 
Tepidarians  and  their  "  ultra-principles,"  and  doubts  if  his 
brother  ever  belonged  to  their  society.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
it  is  certain  that  the  "  Royalists "  and  the  fashionable 
world  into  which  he  was  drawn  soon  influenced  Davy's 
social  and  political  views.  Dr.  Davy,  whilst  willing 
enough  to  appreciate  at  their  proper  value  his  brother's 
natural  and  intellectual  advantages  as  contributing  to 
his  success,  points  out  that  other  circumstances  connected 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  70 

with  the  Institution  and  the  period  conspired  to  help 

him: — 

"  The  Royal  Institution  was  a  new  experiment.  Novelty  in 
itself  is  delightful,  especially  to  people  of  rank  and  fortune,  who 
at  that  time  in  consequence  of  the  Continent  being  closed,  and 
owing  to  the  war,  must  have  been  delighted  to  have  had  opened 
to  them  a  new  and  unexpected  source  of  interest,  fitted  to  amuse 
those  who  were  suffering  from  ennui,  and  to  instruct  those  who 
were  anxious  for  "instruction.  The  Royal  Institution,  moreover, 
was  the  creation  of  a  large  number  of  influential  persons,  both  in 
the  higher  ranks  of  .society  and  of  science.  This  alone  might  have 
sufficed  to  render  it  fashionable,  and,  if  fashionable,  popular. 
The  period,  morally  and  politically  considered,  aided  the  effect ;  a 
time  of  great  political  excitement  had  just  terminated  ;  a  time  of 
gloom  and  despondency  was  then  commencing.  Whatever  diverted 
the  public  mind  and  afi'orded  new  objects  of  contemplation,  pure 
and  independent  sources  of  amusement  and  gratification,  must 
have  been  very  welcome  to  all  reflecting  persons,  even  without 
taking  into  account  the  possible  and  probable  good  which  might 
be  conferred  by  the  Institution  on  society,  in  accordance  with  the 
intentions  with  which  it  was  first  established." 

Davy  thus  expressed  his  own  feeling .  of  satisfaction 

to  his  mother  : —  «  t      i 

London. 

"  My  dear  Mother, — I  have  been  very  busy  in  the  preparation 
for  my  lectures  ;  and  for  this  reason  1  have  not  written  to  you.  I 
delivered  my  second  lecture  to-day,  and  was  very  much  flattered 
to  find  the  theatre  overflowing  at  this,  as  well  as  at  the  first.  I 
am  almost  surprised  at  the  interest  taken  by  so  many  people  of 
rank,  in  the  progress  of  chemical  philosophy ;  and  I  hope  I  am 
doing  a  great  deal  of  good,  in  being  the  means  of  producing  and 
directing  the  taste  for  it. 

"  I  have  been  perfectly  well  since  I  visited  Cornwall ;  and  I 
enter  upon  my  campaign  in  high  health  and  spirits.  After  four 
months  of  hard  but  pleasant  lal>our,  I  shall  again  be  free  ! 

"  I  hope  you  are  all  well.  I  very  often  reflect  upon  the  times 
that  are  past ;  and  m}^  mind  is  always  filled  with  gratitude  to  the 
Suijreme  Being,  who  has  made  us  all  happy  ;  and  that,  in  placing 
us  in  distant  parts,  and  in  different  circles,  neither  our  feelings 
or  aflecfcions  have  been  disturbed     .     .     . 


80  in'MrifRV  n.wv, 

"  1  sliiill  be  very  ^'lad  to  sec  you  again.  I  intend  in  June  to 
pass  througli  Scotland  and  to  visit  the  Western  Isles  ;  but  I  liope 
I  slinll  sjiond  a  part  of  the  autumn  with  you. 

"  Pray  write  to  nie  and  «ive  me  a  little  news.  Beg  Kitty  and 
CJrace  and  l?otsy  and  John  to  recollect  rac. 

'•  I  am,  my  dear  mother,  your  very  affectionate  son 

"  H.  Davy." 

'riio  interest  and  spirit  of  entbusiasm  thus  roused 
was  sedulously  cultivated  by  Davy,  and  turned  to  tbe 
purposes  of  tbe  Institution  wbicb  he  served,  llumford 
was  no  lon«(er  its  moving  and  controlling  spirit;  his  duty 
to  tbe  Elector  of  IJavaria,  and  his  ill-starred  devotion  to 
^radamc  Lavoisier,  bad  gradually  drawn  him  away  from 
London,  and  in  1803  be  ceased  to  take  any  active  part 
in  tbe  fortunes  of  bis  offspring.  Shortly  afterwards  Sir 
Joseph  Banks  also  withdrew.  In  a  letter  written  April, 
1S04,  he  tolls  Rumford  that  his  continued  absence  from 
England  is  a  great  detriment  to  the  Institution  : — 

"  It  is  now  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  profane.  I  have  de- 
clared my  dissatisfaction  at  the  mode  in  which  it  is  carried  on, 
and  my  resolution  not  to  attend  in  future.  Had  my  health  and 
spirits  not  failed  me,  I  could  have  kept  matters  in  their  proper 
level,  but  sick,  alone,  and  unsujjported,  I  have  given  up  what 
cannot  now  easily  be  recovered." 

Sir  John  Hippesley,  who  became  treasurer,  strove  to 
make  tbe  Institution  above  all  things  fashionable.  He 
bad  a  project  for  placing  private  boxes  in  the  theatre,  and 
was  concerned  about  its  want  of  a  proper  coat-of-arms. 
j\Ir.  Bernard  still  continued  to  hope  that  Sydney  Smith's 
lectures  on  Moral  Pbilosopb}^  might  somehow  better 
tbe  condition  of  the  poor.  They  would,  at  least,  said 
Horner,  "  make  the  real  blue-stockings  a  little  more  dis- 
agreeable  than  ever,  and  sensible  women  a  little  more 
sensible."  But  the  real  directing  power  Avas  Davy,  and 
be  gradually  stamped  upon  tbe  place  tbe  character  it 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  81 

now  possesses.  How  he  felt  his  power  and  used  it,  may 
be  deaned  from  the  following  extract  from  a  lecture  in 
1809,  in  reference  to  a  fund  which  had  been  raised  to 
supply  him  with  a  great  voltaic  battery  : — 

"In  a  great  country  like  this,  it  was  to  be  expected  that 
a  fund  could  not  long  be  wanting  for  pursuing  or  perfecting 
any  great  scientific  object.  But  the  promptitude  with  which  the 
subscription  filled  was  so  great,  as  to  leave  no  opportunity  to  many 
zealous  patrons  of  science  for  showing  their  Hberality.  The 
munificence  of  a  few  individuals  has  afforded  means  more  ample 
and  magnificent  than  those  furnished  by  the  Government  of  a 
rival  nation  ;  and  I  believe  we  have  preceded  them  in  the  appli- 
cation of  the  means.  In  this  kind  of  emulation,  our  superiority, 
I  trust,  will  never  be  lost ;  and  I  trust  that  the  activity  belonging 
to  our  sciences  will  always  flow  from  the  voluntary  efforts  of  in- 
dividuals, from  whom  the  support  will  be  an  honour— to  whom 
it  will  be  honourable.     .     .     . 

"  Without  facilities  for  pursuing  his  object,  the  greatest 
genius  in  exi)erimental  research  may  live  and  die  useless  and 
unknown.  Talents  of  this  kind  cannot,  like  talents  for  literature 
and  the  fine  arts,  call  forth  attention  and  respect.  They  can 
neither  give  popularity  to  the  names  of  patrons,  nor  ornament 
their  houses.  They  are  limited  in  their  effects,  which  are  directed 
towards  the  inmutable  interests  of  society.  They  cannot  be  made 
subservient  to  fashion  or  caprice  ;  they  must  forever  be  attached 
to  truth,  and  belong  to  nature.  If  we  merely  consider  instruction 
in  physical  science,  this  even  requires  an  expensive  apparatus  to 
be  efficient ;  for  without  proper  ocular  demonstrations,  all  lec- 
tures must  be  unavailing, — things  rather  than  words  should  be 
made  the  objects  of  study.  A  certain  knowledge  of  the  beings 
and  substances  surrounding  us  must  be  felt  as  a  want  by  every 
cultivated  mind.  It  is  a  want  which  no  activity  of  thought,  no 
books,  no  course  of  reading  or  conversation,  can  supply.  That  a 
spirit  for  promoting  experimental  science  is  not  wanting  in  the 
country,  is  proved  by  the  statement  which  I  have  just  made,  by 
the  foundation  in  which  I  have  the  honour  of  addressing  you,  and  by 
the  number  of  institutions  rising  in  different  parts  of  the  metropolis 
and  in  the  provinces.  But  it  is  clear  that  this  laudable  spirit  may 
produce  little  effect  from  want  of  just  direction.     To  divide  and  to 

F 


82  HUMPH  1!V    n.WY, 

separate  the  soiures  of  scientific  interest,  is  to  destroy  all  their  just 
otfci-t.  To  attonipt.  with  insutliciciit  means,  to  support  philosopliy, 
is  nii-roly  to  huniiliatt'  la'r  and  render  her  an  ohject  of  dirision. 
Those  who  establish  foundations  for  teiicliiMg  the  sciences  ought, 
at  least,  to  understand  their  dignity.  To  connect  pecuniary 
speculation,  or  connnercial  advantages,  with  schemes  for  jtromoting 
the  jirogrcss  of  knowledge,  is  to  take  crops  without  employing 
manure  ;  is  to  create  sterility,  and  to  destroy  improvement.  A 
scientific  institution  ought  no  more  to  be  made  an  object  of  prolit 
than  an  hospitable,  or  a  charitable  establisliment.  Intellectual 
wants  are  at  least  as  worthy  of  supi)ort  as  corporeal  wants,  and  they 
ought  to  be  provided  for  with  the  same  feeling  of  nobleness  and 
liberality.  The  language  expected  by  the  members  of  a  scientific 
body  from  the  directors  ought  not  to  be,  'We  have  increased  your 
jiroperty,  we  have  raised  the  value  of  your  shares.'  It  ought 
rather  to  be,  '  We  have  endeavoured  to  apply  your  funds  to  useful 
purposes,  to  promote  the  diffusion  of  science,  to  encourage  dis- 
covery, and  to  exalt  the  scientific  glory  of  your  country.' 

"AVhat  this  institution  has  done,  it  would  ill  become  a  person 
in  my  place  to  detail ;  but  that  it  has  tended  to  the  progress  of 
knowledge  and  invention,  will  not,  I  believe,  be  questioned. 
Com]>are  the  expenditure  with  the  advantages.  It  would  not 
support  the  least  of  your  public  auiusements  ;  and  the  income  of 
an  establishment,  which,  in  its  effects,  may  be  said  to  be  national, 
is  derived  from  annual  subscriptions  scarcely  greater  than  those 
which  a  learned  professor  of  Kdinbui'gh  obtains  from  a  single 
class.     .    .     . 

"  The  progression  of  physical  science  is  much  more  connected 
with  your  pro.sperity  than  is  usually  imagined.  You  owe  to 
experimental  philosophy  some  of  the  most  important  and  peculiar 
of  your  advantages.  It  is  not  by  foreign  concpiests  chiefly  that 
you  are  become  great,  but  by  a  conquest  of  nature  in  your  own 
country.  It  is  not  so  much  by  colonization  that  you  have  attained 
your  preeminence  or  wealth,  but  by  the  cultivation  of  the  riches 
of  your  own  soil.  Why,  at  this  moment,  are  you  able  to  supply 
the  world  with  a  thousand  articles  of  iron  and  steel  necessary  for 
the  purposes  of  life  ?  It  is  by  arts  derived  from  chemistry  and 
mechanics,  and  founded  purely  upon  experiments.  Why  is  the 
steam  engine  now  carrying  on  operations  which  formerly  employed, 
in   painful  and   humiliating    labour,   thousands    of    our    robust 


POET   AND    I'lllI.OSOi'llER.  <S.'} 

|K;;i8iUitry,  who  arc;  now  iiioro  iiuMy  or  iiiorf,  usefully  servin.t,'  tlioii' 
(•(juntry  eitlicr  with  the  swonl  (^r  with  tiic  plou^li  ?  It  was  in 
consequence  of  experiments  upon  the  nature  of  heat  and  pure 
pliysical  investigations. 

"In  every  part  of  tlio  woild  manufactures  made  from  the 
mere  clay  and  peltbles  of  your  soil  may  be  found  ;  and  to  what  is 
this  owing  ?  To  cliemical  arts  and  experiments.  You  have  ex- 
celled all  other  people  in  the  products  of  industry.  I>ut  why  1 
Because  you  have  assisted  industiy  by  science.  J)o  not  regard  as 
iiiditrerent  what  is  your  true  and  greatest  glory.  I"^xcept  in  tliese 
respects,  and  in  the  light  of  a  pure  system  of  faith,  in  what  are 
you  superior  to  Athens  or  to  Jiomel  iJo  you  carry  away  fiom 
them  the  ])alm  in  literature  and  the  iine  arts  1  Do  you  not  rather 
glory,  and  justly  too,  in  being,  in  these  respects,  theii'  imitators? 
Is  it  not  denion.strated  by  the  nature  of  your  system  of  j)ublic 
education,  and  by  your  popular  amusements?  In  what,  then,  are 
you  their  snperioi-s  1  In  every  thing  coimected  with  physical 
science  ;  with  the  ex]»erimental  arts.  These  are  your  chaiactei'- 
istics.  Do  not  neglect  them.  You  have  a  Newton,  who  is  the 
gloiy,  not  only  of  your  own  country,  but  of  the  human  race.  You 
have  a  Hacon,  whose  precepts  may  still  be  attended  to  with  ad- 
vantage. Shall  h]nglishmen  slumber  in  that  j)atli  which  these 
great  men  have  opened,  and  be  overtaken  by  their  neighbours  ? 
tSay,  rather,  that  all  assistance  sliall  be  given  to  their  efi"orts  ; 
that  they  shall  l>e  attended  to,  encouraged,  and  supported." 

On  a  suhscquciit  occasion,  when  tlic  subjugation  of 
Kuropc  was  threatened  by  the  restless  military  spirit  of 
France,  he  thus  dilated  upon  the  influence  of  experi- 
mental philosophy  in  strengthening  the  desire  for 
rational  freedom  : — 

"  The  scientific  glory  of  a  country  may  be  considered,  in  some 
measure,  as  an  indication  of  its  innate  strength.  The  exaltation 
of  reason  must  necessarily  be  connected  with  the  exaltation  of  the 
other  noble  facnlties  of  the  mind  ;  and  there  is  one  spirit  of  enter- 
prise, vigour,  and  con(|uest,  in  science,  arts,  and  arms. 

"  Science  for  its  progression  requires  patronage, — but  it  must 
be  a  patronage  bestowed,  a  patronage  received,  with  dignity.  It 
must  be  preserved  independent.  It  can  bear  no  fetters,  not  even 
F  2 


84  HUMI'IIHY    DAW, 

iVttors  of  ;,'old,  and  least  of  all  those  fetterd  in  which  ignorance 
or  sellishness  may  attempt  to  shackle  it. 

"And  there  is  no  country  which  ought  so  much  to  glory  in  its 
progress,  which  is  so  iiiuch  interested  in  its  success,  as  this  hap]>y 
island.  Science  ha-s  been  a  prime  cause  of  creating  for  us  the 
inexhaustible  wealth  of  manufactures,  and  it  is  by  science  that  it 
must  be  preserved  and  extended.  We  are  interested  as  a  com- 
mercial jieople,—  we  are  interested  as  a  free  people.  The  age  of 
glory  of  a  nation  is  likewise  the  age  of  its  security.  The  same 
dignified  feeling,  which  urges  men  to  endeavour  to  gain  a  dominion 
over  nature,  will  ])reserve  them  from  the  humiliation  of  slavery. 
Natural,  and  moral,  and  religious  knowledge,  are  of  one  family  ; 
and  liapi)y  is  that  country,  and  great  its  strength,  where  they 
dwell  together  in  union." 

It  was,  of  course,  to  bo  expected  that  amidst  the 
general  chorus  of  approval  some  discordant  notes  should 
be  heard.  Peojjle  who  preferred  the  severe  and  formal 
manner  of  his  colleague,  Dr.  Young,  who,  in  spite  of  his 
profound  knowledge,  coidd  never  keep  an  audience 
together,  said  that  Davy's  stjde  was  too  florid  and 
imaginative  ;  that  his  imagery  was  inappropriate,  and  his 
conceits  violent ;  that  he  was  affected  and  swayed  by  a 
mawkish  sensibility.  Dr.  Paris  Avould  have  us  believe 
there  was  some  show  of  justice  in  this  accusation,  but 
he  thinks  that  "  the  style  which  cannot  be  tolerated  in 
a  philosoj^hical  essay  may  under  peculiar  circumstances 
be  not  only  admissible  but  even  expedient  in  a  popular 
lecture."  The  "  peculiar  circumstance  "  in  Davy's  case 
was,  in  Dr.  Paris's  opinion,  the  Pvoyal  Institution  audience. 

"Let  us  consider  for  a  moment,"  he  says,  "the  class  of  persons 
to  whom  Davy  addre.s.sed  himself.  Were  they  students  ])reinred 
to  toil  with  systematic  precision,  in  order  to  obtain  knowledge  as 
a  matter  of  necessity  ? — No— they  were  composed  of  the  gay  and 
the  idle,  who  could  only  be  tempted  to  admit  instruction  by  the 
prospect  of  receiving  pleasure, — they  were  children,  who  could 
only  be  induced  to  swallow  the  salutary  draught  by  the  honey 
around  the  rim  of  the  cup." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  85 

That  Davy  himself  was  not  wholly  unconscious  of 
this  fact  may  be  gathered  from  a  letter  which  he  Avrote 
to  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert  at  about  this  time.     He  says  : — 

"  My  labours  in  the  Theatre  of  the  Royal  Institution  have 
been  more  successful  than  I  could  have  hoped  from  the  nature  of 
them.  In  lectures,  the  effect  produced  upon  the  mind  is  generally 
transitory  ;  for  the  most  part,  they  amuse  rather  than  instruct, 
and  stimulate  to  enquiry  rather  than  give  information.  My 
audience  has  often  amounted  to  four  and  five  hundred,  and 
upwards ;  and  amongst  them  some  promise  to  become  per- 
manently attached  to  chemistry.  This  science  is  much  the 
fashion  of  the  day." 

Whatever  may  be  urged  against  Davy's  style  of 
lecturing,  his  purely  scientific  memoirs  are  unquestion- 
ably models  of  their  kind.  His  language  is  so  simple, 
and  his  mode  of  expression  so  uniformly  clear,  and  so 
free  from  technicality,  that  even  an  ordinary  reader  can 
follow  them  with  delight.  In  this  respect  he  was  con- 
sistently faithful  to  the  direction  he  gives  in  his  "  Last 
Days  "  :— 

"In  detailing  the  results  of  experiments,  and  in  giving  them 
to  the  world,  the  chemical  philosopher  should  adopt  the  simplest 
style  and  manner ;  he  will  avoid  all  ornaments,  as  something 
injurious  to  his  subject,  and  should  bear  in  mind  the  saying  of 
the  first  King  of  Great  Britain,  respecting  a  sermon  which  was 
excellent  in  doctrine,  but  overcharged  with  poetical  allusions  and 
figurative  language, — 'that  the  tropes  and  metaphors  of  the  speaker 
were  like  the  brilliant  wild  flowers  in  a  field  of  corn,  very  pretty, 
but  which  did  very  much  hurt  the  corn.' " 

Dr.  Paris's  remarks  concerning  Davy's  personal  man- 
ner and  his  style  of  lecturing  were  warmly  controverted 
at  the  time  of  their  publication  by  several  of  Davy's 
friends.  Dr.  John  Davy's  account  is  so  clear  and 
explicit,  and  so  obviously  based  upon  personal  obser- 
vation, for  which  he  had  ample  opportunities,  that,  even 
after  making  every  allowance  for  brotherly  bias,  we  prefer 


86  nrMPHHv  daw, 

to  regard  it  as  giving  a  more  just  impression  of  Davy's 
bearing  in  the  loctnre-thcatrc,  and  of  (he  care  and  pains 
he  took  to  ensure  success. 

"  lU' was,"  says  Dr.  ])avy,  "always  in  earnest;  and  wlicn  lie 
amusi'd  most,  aniusenient  ap]ieared  most  foreign  to  his  o])ject. 
His  groat  ami  first  object  was  to  instruct,  and,  in  conjunction 
with  this,  maintain  the  importance  and  dignity  of  science  ;  indeed 
the  latter,  and  the  kindling  a  taste  for  scientiiic  pursuits,  might 
rather  be  considered  his  main  object,  and  the  conveying  instruc- 
tion a  .secondary  one.'" 

His  lei'tnrc  was  ahiiost  invariably  writ  ten  expressly 
for  the  occasion,  and  usually  on  the  day  before  he  de- 
livered it. 

"  On  this  day  he  generally  dined  in  his  own  room,  and  made 
a  light  meal  on  fi.sh.  He  was  ahvays  master  of  his  subject ;  and 
composed  with  gicat  rapidity,  and  with  a  security  of  his  powers 
never  failing  him.  ...  It  w'as  almost  an  invariable  rule 
with  him,  the  evening  before,  to  rehearse  his  lecture  in  the 
presence  of  his  as.sistants,  the  preparations  having  been  made 
and  everything  in  readiness  for  the  experiments  ;  and  this  he  did, 
not  only  with  a  view  to  the  success  of  the  experiments,  and  the 
dexterity  of  his  assistants,  but  also  in  regard  to  his  own  discourse, 
the  effect  of  wliich,  he  knew,  depended  upon  the  manner  in  which 
it  was  delivered.  He  used,  I  remember,  at  this  recital,  to  mark 
the  words  which  required  emjihasis  and  study  the  effect  of  in- 
tonation ;  often  repeating  a  pas.sage  two  or  three  diflFerent  times, 
to  witness  the  difference  of  effect  of  variations  in  the  voice.  His 
manner  was  perfectly  natural,  animated  and  energetic,  but  not 
in  the  least  theatrical.  In  speaking,  he  never  seemed  to  consider 
himself  as  an  object  of  attention  ;  he  spoke  as  if  devoted  to  his 
subject,  and  as  if  his  audience  were  equally  devoted  to  it  and 
their  interest  concentrated  in  it.  The  imprcssiveness  of  his 
oratory  was  one  of  its  great  charms  .  .  .  and  his  eIo(|uence, — 
the  declamation,  as  it  might  be  called  by  some,  in  which  he 
indulged  on  the  ])eauty  and  order  of  Nature  .  .  .  was  so  well 
received  because  it  was  not  affected  ;  merely  his  own  strong 
impressions  and  feelings  embodied  in  words,  and  delivered  with 
an  earnestness  which  marked  their  sincerity." 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  87 

It  must,  however,  be  admitted  that  this  extraordinary 
success  was  not  without  its  evil  influence  on  Davy's 
moral  qualities.  Considering  his  age,  and  his  tempera- 
ment, his  ambition  and  love  of  applause,  he  would  have 
been  something  more  than  human  if  he  could  liave 
remained  wholly  unaffected  by  the  conditions  in  which 
he  was  placed.  "  The  bloom  of  his  simplicity  was 
dulled  by  the  breath  of  adulation."  He  assumed  the 
ofarb  and  the  airs  of  a  man  of  fashion,  and  courted  the 
society  of  the  rich  and  the  aristocratic.  Time  Avhich 
would  have  been  more  profitably  spent  in  the  study, 
or  in  the  society  of  his  intellectual  fellows,  was  frittered 
away  in  the  frivolities  of  London  society,  or  in  the 
■^(don>^,  or  at  the  mirep^  of  leaders  of  the  "smart"  people 
of  the  period.  The  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  Royal 
Institution,  and  the  necessity  for  the  continued  adhesion" 
to  it  of  persons  of  rank,  and  wealth,  may  to  some  extent 
have  led  him  away  from  the  quieter  and  serener  joys  of 
the  philosophic  life. 

"  In  the  morning,"  says  Paris,  "  he  was  the  sage  interpreter  of 
Nature's  laws ;  in  the  evening,  he  sparkled  in  the  galaxy  of 
fashion  ;  and  not  the  least  extraordinary  point  in  the  character 
of  this  great  man,  was  the  facility  with  which,  he  could  cast 
aside  the  cares  of  study,  and  enter  into  the  trifling  amusements 
of  society. — 'iVe  otium  qiddem  otiostim,'' mvsls  the  exclamation  of 
Cicero  ;  and  it  will  generally  apply  to  the  leisure  of  men  actively 
engaged  in  the  pursuits  of  science  ;  but  Davy,  in  closing  the  door 
of  his  laboratory,  opened  the  temple  of  pleasure.  ...  In 
ordinary  cases,  the  genius  of  evening  dissipation  is  an  arrant 
Penelope  ;  but  Davy,  on  returning  to  his  morning  labours, 
never  found  that  the  thread  had  been  unspun  daring  the 
interruption." 

The  following  letter  from  Coleridge  will  serve  to 
show  how  this  change  was  foreseen  and  deplored  by  his 
truest  friends : — 


88  HT'MPTIin'    DAW, 

"Xctlior  Stowey,  Fehy.  17,  1803. 

"Mv  DKAK  Pi'KKis,  .  .  I  liiivc  Itocn  lid'c  nearly  a  fort- 
iii.i:Iit  ;  Jirid  ill  iK'ttiT  health  tliaii  usual.  Tram pii II ity,  warm  rooms 
ami  a  ilcar  old  I'rioiul,  arc  .spocifics  for  my  rom|ilaiiits.  I'oole  is 
iudt't'il  a  very,  very  yood  man.  I  like  ovon  his  incorri^ihilily  in 
small  faults  und  dcHcieneies  ;  it  looks  likeawise  determination  of 
Xature  to  K-t  well  alone  ;  and  is  a  con.se(|Uence,  a  nece.s.sary  one 
|K'rha|)s.  of  his  imniutahility  in  his  important  j^ood  (lualities.     . 

"  I  rejoice  in  Davy's  ]»rogress.  There  are  three  suns  recorded 
in  Scripture  :  —  .To.shua's,  that  stood  still;  Hczekiah's,  tliat  went 
backward  ;  and  David's  that  went  forth,  and  hastened  on  his 
cour.se,  like  a  Iiridegroom  from  his  chaml)er.  May  our  friend'.s 
l)rove  the  latter  !  It  is  a  melancholy  tiling  to  see  a  man,  like  the 
Sun  in  the  close  of  the  Lai)lan<l  sunnuer,  meridional  in  his  horizon  ; 
or  like  wheat  in  a  rainy  season,  that  shoots  up  well  in  the  stalk, 
but  does  not  kern.  As  1  have  hoped,  and  do  liope,  more  jiroudly 
of  Davy  than  of  any  other  man  ;  and  as  he  has  been  endeared  to 
nie  more  than  any  other  man,  l)y  the  being  a  Thiuf;;  of  Hope  to 
me  (more,  far  more  than  my  self  to  my  own  self  in  my  most  genial 
moments,)— so  of  course  my  disa])pointment  would  be  proportion- 
ally severe.  It  were  falsehood,  if  I  said  that  I  think  his  present 
situation  most  calculated,  of  all  others,  to  foster  either  his  genius,  or 
the  clearness  and  incorruptness  of  his  opinions  and  moral  feelings. 
I  see  two  Serpents  at  the  cradle  of  his  genius  :  Dissipation  with  a 
perpetual  increase  of  acquaintances,  and  the  constant  presence  of 
Inferiors  and  Devotees,  with  that  too  great  facility  of  attaining 
admiration  which  degrades  Ambition  into  Vanity — but  the 
Hercules  will  strangle  both  the  rei)tile  monsters.  I  have  thought 
it  i)ossible  to  exert  talents  with  perseverance,  and  to  attain  true 
greatness  wholly  i)ure,  even  from  the  impulses  ;  but  on  this  sub- 
ject Davy  and  I  always  differed.     .     .     .     Yours  sincerely 

"  S.  T.  Coleridge." 

It  would  seem  that  Colerids^e's  doubts  and  fears  were 
shared  also  by  his  host,  and  were  communicated  by  him 
to  the  object  of  them.  This,  at  least,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  following  extract  from  a  letter  from  Davy  to  Poole  : — 

"London,  May  1,  180.3. 
"  My   dear   Poole,     ....      Be   not    alarmed,  my  de^r 
friend,  as  to  the  effect  of  worldly  society  on  my  mind.     The  age 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  ^^ 89 

of  danger  has  passed  away.  There  are  in  the  intellectual  being  of 
all  men,  permanent  elements,  certain  habits  and  passions  that 
cannot  change.  I  am  a  lover  of  Nature,  with  an  ungratified 
imagination.  I  shall  continue  to  search  for  untasted  charms — 
for  hidden  beauties. 

"  My  real,  my  wahing  existence  is  amongst  the  objects  of 
scientific  research :  common  amusements  and  enjoyments  are 
necessary  to  me  only  as  dreams,  to  interrupt  the  flow  of  thoughts 
too  nearly  analogous  to  enlighten  and  to  vivify. 

"  Coleridge  has  left  London  for  Keswick  ;  during  his  stay  in 
town,  I  saw  him  seldomer  than  usual ;  when  I  did  see  him,  it  was 
generally  in  the  midst  of  large  companies,  where  he  is  the  image 
of  power  and  activity.  His  eloquence  is  unimpaired  ;  perhaps  it 
is  softer  and  stronger.  His  will  is  probably  less  than  ever  com- 
mensurate with  his  ability.  Brilliant  images  of  greatness  float  upon 
his  mind  :  like  the  images  of  the  morning  clouds  upon  the  waters, 
their  forms  are  changed  by  the  motion  of  the  waves,  they  are 
agitated  by  every  breeze,  and  modified  byevery  sunbeam.  He  talked 
in  the  course  of  one  hour,  of  beginning  three  works,  and  he  recited 
the  ]toem  of  C'hristabel  unfinished,  and  as  I  had  before  heard  it. 
What  talent  does  he  not  waste  in  forming  visions,  sublime,  biit] 
unconnected  with  the  real  world  !  I  have  looked  to  his  efforts,  as 
to  the  efforts  of  a  creating  being ;  but  as  yet,  he  has  not  even  laid 
the  foundation  for  the  new  world  of  intellectual  form.     .     .     .     .  | 

"  Your  affectionate  friend 
"Humphry  Davy." 

Space  will  not  permit  of  any  more  detailed  account 
of  Davy's  career  as  a  lecturer  at  the  Royal  Institution. 
During  the  twelve  years  he  occupied  its  Chair  of  Chemis- 
try he  held  undisputed '  sway  as  the  greatest  living  ex- 
positor of  chemical  doctrine,  and  session  after  session  saw 
the  theatre  crowded  with  eager  and  expectant  audiences. 

This  continued  and  increasing  success  was  due  not 
merely  to  his  art  and  skill  as  a  speaker,  but  to  the 
remarkable  and  astonishing  character  of  what  he  had  to 
tell — of  work  which  made  the  laboratory  of  the  Royal 
Institution  even  more  famous  than  its  lecture-rooms. 


90 


CllAlTKi;   V. 

TIIK    CIIKMHAF,    I,AI!()l!.\T<)i;V    oK    THE    IJOVAL   INSTITUTION. 

TiiK  rhciiiiciil  laboratory  ot"  the  Royal  Institution,  as  the 
scene  of  Davy's  ii^reatest  discoveries — discoveries  which 
mark  epochs  in  tlie  development  of  natural  knowledge — 
will  for  ever  he  hallowed  ground  to  the  philosopher. 
The  votaries  of  Hcnues  have  raised  far  more  stately 
temples:  to-day  they  follow  their  pursuit  in  edifices 
wliich  in  architectural  elegance  and  in  equipment  are 
))alacc.s  compared  with  the  subterranean  structure 
which  lies  behind  the  Corinthian  facade  in  Albemarle 
Street.  But  to  the  chemist  this  spot  is  what  the  Ka'ba  at 
Mecca  is  to  the  follower  of  Mohammed,  or  what  lona  was 
to  Dr.  Johnson:  and,  if  we  may  venture  to  adapt  the 
hmguage  of  the  Enghsh  moralist,  that  student  has  little 
to  be  envied  whose  enthusiasm  would  not  grow  warmer 
or  whose  devotion  would  not  gain  force  Vfithin  the  place 
made  sacred  by  the  genius  and  labours  of  Davy  and 
Faraday. 

And  yet,  w^ere  these  great  men  to  revisit  the  scene  of 
their  iriumphs,  they  would  hardly  recognise  it,  so  com- 
pletely altered  is  it  by  adaptations  and  rearrangements 
rendered  necessary  by  their  discoveries.  How  it  appeared 
in  their  own  time  may  be  seen  from  the  illustration  on 
page  91,  taken  from  a  water-colour  drawing  by  Miss 
Harriet  Moore,  in  the  possession  of  the  Managers  of  the 
Royal  Institution. 

The  first  year  of  the  century  is  memorable  for  the 
invention  of  the  voltaic  pile,  and  for  the  discovery,  by 
Nicholson  and  Carlisle,  on  April  30th,  1800,  of  the  electro- 


Q 


H 
f/2 
'A 

M 

-<! 

O 


-A 


})2  TirMlMIHV    DAW. 

lytic  decomposition  of  water.  As  1  ):ivy  suid,  "  the  voltaic 
battery  was  an  alann-bcll  to  experimenters  in  every  part 
of  Kuropc  ;  and  it  served  no  less  for  dcmonstratintj^  ncAV 
]>roj)erties  in  electricity,  and  for  establisliinu^  the  laws  of 
(ids  science,  than  as  an  instrnment  of  discovery  in  other 
branches  of  knowledire  ;  exhibiting  relations  between  sub- 
jccts  before  apparently  without  connection,  and  serving 
as  a  bond  of  unity  between  chemical  and  physical 
philosophy."  The  capital  discovery  of  Volta  was  made 
known  in  England  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  through 
the  mediation  of  Sir  Joseph  ]3anks,  and  the  study  of 
voltaic  electricity,  its  effects  and  applications,  Avas 
inimediatel}'  afterwards  entered  upon  by  many  English 
men  of  science  with  great  zeal  and  ardour.  Davy  at  this 
time  had  just  completed  his  work  on  Nitrous  Oxide  ;  and, 
powerfully  impressed  with  the  signiticance  of  Nicholson 
and  Carlisle's  observation,  he  at  once  turned  his  attention 
to  the  subject,  and  even  before  leaving  Bristol  he  had  sent 
a  number  of  short  papers  on  what  was  then  usually 
termed  the  galvanic  electricity  to  Nicholson's  Journal 
He  showed  that  oxj'gen  and  hydrogen  Avere  evolved  from 
separate  portions  of  water,  though  vegetable  and  even 
animal  substances  intervened  ;  and  conceiving  that  all 
decomposition  might  be  polar,  he  "  electrised  "  different 
compounds  at  the  difl'erent  extremities,  and  found  that 
suli)hur  and  metallic  substances  appeared  at  the  negative 
pole,  and  oxygen  and  nitrogen  at  the  positive  pole,  though 
the  bodies  furnishing  them  were  separate  from  each 
other.  The  papers,  however,  are  mainly  remarkable  for 
the  fact  that  they  served  to  establish  the  intimate  con- 
nection between  the  electrical  eficcts  and  the  chemical 
changes  going  on  in  the  pile,  and  for  the  conclusion 
drawn  concerning  their  mutual  dependence.  Within 
a  few  days  after  his  removal  to   the  Royal  Institution 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER. 

he  resumed  his  inquiries,  pubUshing  his  results  in  a 
series  of  notices  in  the  short-lived  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Institution. 

In  1801  he  sent  his  first  communication  to  the 
Royal  Society,  on  "  xVn  Account  of  some  Galvanic  Com- 
binations, formed  by  the  Arrangement  of  single  metallic 
Plates  and  Fluids,  analogous  to  the  new  Galvanic  Ap- 
paratus of  Mr.  Volta." 

But  at  this  period,  and  for  some  time  afterwards, 
Davy  was  not  altogether  free  to  develop  his  own  ideas, 
as  the  work  of  the  laboratory  was  controlled  by  a  com- 
mittee which  met,  from  time  to  time,  to  deliberate  and 
settle  uj)on  the  researches  which  were  to  be  undertaken 
by  their  Professor.  As  we  have  seen,  he  was  requested^  | 
in  the  first  place,  to  turn  his  attention  to  tanning,  and  to 
investigate  the  astringent  principles  employed  in  the 
manufacture  of  leather.  Afterwards,  when  the  Managers 
determined  to  form  a  mineralogical  collection,  and  to 
institute  an  assay  office  for  the  improvement  of  mineral- 
ogy and  metallurgy,  he  was  ordered  to  make  analyses  of 
rocks  and  minerals.  And  lastly,  in  consequence  of  an 
arrangement  between  the  Managers  and  the  Board  of 
Agriculture,  effected  by  Arthur  Young,  he  was  required 
to  take  up  the  subject  of  Agricultural  Chemistry.  To  aj^, 
man  of  Thomas  Young's  temperament  the  fussy  activity 
of  committees,  directed  by  such  people  as  Bernard  and 
Hippesley,  would  have  been  resented  as  an  irksome,  if 
not  intolerable,  interference ;  but  Davy  invariably  acted 
as  if  he  considered  that  their  decisions  promoted  the 
true  interests  of  the  Institution,  and  entered  with 
ardour  into  each  new  scheme.  There  was  no  irk- 
someness  to  him  in  being  called  upon  to  change  the 
current  of  his  ideas,  for  he  delighted  in  the  oppor- 
tunity of  exhibiting  his  versatility ;  and,  confident  in  his 


!'l  HUMl'llin     \K\\\. 

pttwci's,  lie  had  i,!iu  amhitiou  Lo  toiicli  cvcrythiiii;'  in 
turn,  and  to  adorn  it.  That  ho  should  have  succeeded 
so  well  under  such  conditions  is  perhaps  the  strongest 
evidence  that  could  be  adthiced  of  the  strength  and 
elasticity  of  his  eager,  active  mind,  and  of  his  astonishing 
power  of  rapid,  well-directed  work. 

\\'c  have  already  dealt  Avith  his  researches  in  con- 
nection with  tannin^:.  The  efforts  of  the  Manao-ers 
towards  the  improvement  of  mineralogy  and  metallurgy, 
m  spite  of  the  generous  assistance  of  Mr.  Greville,  Sir  J. 
St.  Aubin,  and  Sir  A.  Hume,  and  the  "  activity  and 
intelligence  of  Mr.  Davy,"  proved  abortive. 

One  outcome  of  Davy's  association  with  the  matter 
may  be  seen  in  his  paper,  published  by  the  Royal  Society 
in  1805,  on  "An   Account  of  some  analytical  Experi- 
ments on  a  mineral  Production  from  Devonshire,  con- 
sisting   principally     of     Alumine    and    Water."      The 
mineral  referred  to  was  discovered  by  Dr.  Wavel  in  an 
argillaceous  slate  near  Barnstaple,  and  hence  was  termed 
wavellite.    Davy  failed  to  recognise  its  true  nature,  which 
was   first    correctly   ascertained   by    Berzelius.      A   few 
weeks   later,  he   sent   to   the   Royal   Society   a   second 
paper  "  On  a  Method  of  Analyzing  Stones   containing 
fixed   Alkali,  by   Means    of    the    Boracic    Acid."     The 
method,  however,  is  of  comparatively  limited  application, 
and  is  seldom,  if  ever,  now  used  in  analysis.    Determina- 
tive chemistry  was  never  one  of  Davy's  strong  points, 
and  few  of  his  analytical  processes  are  now  employed. 
Patient  manipulation,  and  minute  and  sustained  atten- 
tion to  detail,  were  altogether  foreign  to  his  disposition 
and  habits,  although  he  had  the  highest  appreciation  of 
these  qualities  in  men  Hke  Cavendish  and  AVollaston. 

The  lectures   on  agriculture  however,  were  a  great 
success,   and    brought    increased    fame    and    no    small 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  (      95 


protit  to  the  lecturer.  His  association  with  the  Board 
of  Agriculture  developed  into  a  permanent  appointment ; 
for  ten  successive  years  he  continued  to  lecture  on  the 
subject  before  its  members,  and  in  1813  he  put  together 
the  results  of  his  labours  in  his  well-known  "  Elements 
of  Agricultural  Chemistry."  In  simplicity  and  absence 
of  ornament  the  style  of  these  lectures  is  in  marked 
contrast  to  that  which  he  usually  employed  at  the  Royal 
Institution.  Dealing  with  men  to  whom  the  matter 
was  of  paramount  importance,  he  had  no  need  to  stimu- 
late their  interest  by  the  arts  he  employed  in  the  theatre 
in  Albemarle  Street.  The  very  nature  of  the  subject, 
perhaps,  served  to  remind  him  that  tropes  and  meta- 
phors were  here  as  much  out  of  place  as  "  the  brilliant 
wild  flowers  in  the  field  of  corn — very  pretty,  but  which 
did  very  much  hurt  the  corn." 

It  would  be  impossible  in  the  space  at  our  disposal 
to  attempt  to  give  a  minute  analysis  of  Davy's  work  in 
connection  with  agriculture.  Its  interest  now  is,  for  the 
most  part,  historical ;  what  is  of  permanent  importance 
in  the  way  of  fact  has  long  since  been  woven  into  the 
common  web  of  knowledge.  Its  greatest  value  was  not  I 
in  the  novelty  or  the  abundance  of  its  facts,  but  rather 
as  a  closely-reasoned  exposition  of  the  relation  of  agri- 
culture to  science,  and  of  the  necessity  for  applying  the 
principles  and  methods  of  science  to  the  art.  The_\ 
philosophic  breadth  of  his  views,  supported,  on  occasion, 
by  apt  example  and  striking  analogy,  might  be  illus- 
trated by  many  extracts.  This,  for  example,  is  how  he 
speaks  of  the  value  of  the  scientific  method,  and  of 
chemistry,  to  husbandry : — 

"Nothing  is  more  wanting  in  agriculture  than  experiments, 
in  which  all  the  circumstances  are  minutely  and  scientifically 
detailed.      This  art  will  advance  with  rapidity   in  proportion 


Ofi  HUMPllUY    DAVY, 

aa  it  becomes  exact  in  its  metliods.  As  in  physical  researches 
all  tlio  causes  should  be  considered  ;  a  difference  in  tlie  results 
may  l)e  i)roduced,  even  by  the  tall  of  a  half  an  inch  of  rain  more 
or  less  in  the  course  of  a  season,  or  a  few  degrees  of  temperature, 
or  even  by  a  slight  dittercnce  in  the  subsoil,  or  in  the  inclination 
of  the  land. 

"Information  collected,  after  views  of  distinct  iiuiuiry,  would 
necessaiily  be  more  accurate,  and  more  capable  of  being  connected 
with  the  general  principles  of  .science  ;  and  a  few  histories  of  the 
results  of  truly  philosoiihical  exiieriments  in  agricultural  chemistry 
would  be  of  more  value  in  enliglitening  and  benefitting  the  farmer, 
than  the  greatest  i)0.ssible  accumulation  of  imperfect  trials  con- 
ducted merely  in  the  emi)irical  spirit.  It  is  no  unu.sual  occurrence, 
for  jtcrsons  who  argue  in  favour  of  i)ractice  and  ex]>erience,  to 
condenm  generally  all  attempts  to  improve  agriculture  by 
jihilosophical  intjuiries  and  chemical  methods.  That  much 
vague  speculation  may  be  found  in  the  works  of  those  who 
have  lightly  taken  up  agricultural  chemistry,  it  is  impossible  to 
deny.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  a  number  of  changes  rung 
upon  a  string  of  technical  terms,  such  as  oxygen,  hydrogen, 
carbon,  and  azote,  as  if  the  science  depended  upon  words  rather 
than  upon  things.  But  this  is,  in  fact,  an  argument  for  the 
necessity  of  the  estal)lishment  of  just  i)rinciples  of  chemistry  on 
the  subject.  Whoever  reasons  upon  agriculture,  is  obliged  to 
recur  to  this  science.  He  feels  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to 
advance  a  step  without  it ;  and  if  he  is  satisfied  with  insufficient 
views,  it  is  not  because  he  prefers  them  to  accurate  knowledge, 
but,  generally,  because  they  are  more  current.  ...  It  has 
been  said,  and  undoubtedly  with  great  truth,  that  a  philosoi^hical 
chemist  would  most  probably  make  a  very  unprofitable  business 
of  farming  ;  and  this  certainly  Avould  be  the  case,  if  he  were  a 
mere  philosophical  chemist ;  and  unless  he  had  served  his 
ap])renticeship  to  the  practice  of  the  art.  as  well  as  to  the  theory. 
But  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  he  would  be  a  more  successful 
agriculturist  than  a  i)erson  equally  uninitiated  in  farming,  but 
ignorant  of  chemistiy  altogether  ;  his  science,  as  far  as  it  went, 
would  be  useful  to  him.  But  chemistry  is  not  the  only  kind  of 
knowledge  required  :  it  forms  a  part  of  the  i)hilosophical  basis 
of  agriculture ;  but  it  is  an  important  part,  and  whenever  applied 
in  a  proper  manner  must  })roduce  advantages." 


POET   AXD    PHILOSOPHER.  97 

How  highly  these  lectures  were  appreciated  will  be 
evident  from  the  terms  in  which  they  were  referred  to 
by  Sir  John  Sinclair  in  his  address  of  1806  to  the 
Board.     He  says  : — 

"In  the  year  1802,  when  my  Lord  Carrington  was  in  the  chair, 
the  Board  resolved  to  direct  the  attention  of  a  celebrated  lecturer, 
Mr.  Davy,  to  agricultural  subjects  ;  and  in  the  following  year, 
during  the  presidency  of  Lord  Sheffield,  he  first  delivered  to  the 
members  of  this  Institution,  a  course  of  lectures  on  the  Chemistry 
of  Agriculture.  The  plan  has  succeeded  to  the  extent  which 
might  have  been  expected  from  the  aljilities  of  the  gentleman 
engaged  to  carry  it  into  effect.  The  lectures  have  hitherto  been 
exclusively  addressed  to  the  members  of  the  Board  ;  but  to  such  a 
degree  of  perfection  have  they  arrived,  that  it  is  well  worthy  of 
consideration,  whether  they  ought  not  to  be  given  to  a  larger 
audience." 

The  "  degree  of  perfection  "  was  in  no  small  degree 
due  to  the  amount  of  experimental  and  observational 
work  Avhich  Davy  introduced  into  his  lectures.  Mr. 
Bernard  allotted  him  a  considerable  piece  of  ground  on 
his  property  at  Roehampton  for  experimental  purposes, 
and  the  Duke  of  Bedford  carried  out  trials  for  him  at 
Woburn.  He  studied  i'rom  time  to  time  all  the  opera- 
tions of  practical  farming,  examined  a  great  variety  of 
soils,  and  investisfated  the  nature  and  action  of  manures. 
He  was  thus  brousfht  into  contact  with  some  of  the 
largest  landowners  and  agriculturists  of  his  time,  and 
was  an  honoured  guest  in  the  houses  of  men  like  Lord 
Sheffield,  Lord  Thanet,  Mr.  Coke  of  Holkham,  and 
others."^  Li  the  practical  interest  he  thus  displayed  in 
the  most  useful  of  all  the  arts  he  sought  to  emulate 
the  example  of  his  illustrious  prototype  Lavoisier,  and 

*  In  the  print   of  the    "  Woburn  Sheep-Shearing,"  Davy  is  repre- 
sented as  one  of  a  group  comprising  Mr.  Coke,  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  Sir 
John  Sinclair,  and  Mr.  Arthur  Young. 
G 


98  HUMIMIIIV    DAW, 

liis  work  constitutes  (lio  fouiidatitui  of  every  treatise  on 
tho  subject  since  the  appearance,  in  1M40,  of  Licbig's 
well-known  Ixiol^. 

Professor  W'arington,  ihau  wlioni  no  one  is  more 
titted  to  express  an  opinion,  has  favoured  nie  with  the 
foUowing  critical  estimate  of  the  value  of  Davy's  work: — 

" 'riio  lectures  jirofess  to  Ite  exliaiistivc  and  tlius  present  all 
tli;it  Davy  had  been  able  to  collect  on  the  subject  of  the  relations 
of  chemistry  to  af^niculture  durinj;-  a  period  of  at  least  10  years. 
He  appears  to  have  made  a  carefnl  study  of  the  problems  of 
agriculture  for  many  years,  and  to  be  ac(|uainted  with  English 
practice,  and  Eniilish  ex]ieriments.  There  is  but  little  reference 
to  foreign  ])ractice,  or  foreign  opinion,  save  where  the  work  done 
has  been  purely  chemical,  as  e.f/.  that  of  Gay  Lussac,  or  Vau- 
quelin.  He  apjiroaches  his  subject  in  a  thoroughly  scientilic 
manner,  taking  an  independent  view  of  each  question,  bringing 
all  the  knowledge  at  his  disposal  to  bear  upon  it,  and  not 
hesitating  to  come  to  conclusions  dift'erent  from  those  usually 
received.  The  (jrent  step  taken  in  these  lectures  is  the  assertion 
that  Agriculture  must  look  to  Natural  Science,  and  especially  to 
Chemistry,  for  the  explanation  of  its  problems  and  the  improve- 
ment of  its  practice.  Davy  seems  to  have  lieen  the  first,  at  least 
in  this  country,  who  boldly  claimed  for  '  Agricultural  Chemistry ' 
the  j)Osition  of  a  distinct  branch  of  science.  He  was  probably 
the  earliest  example  of  a  first-class  chemist,  who  seriously  and 
continuously  devoted  his  best  attention  to  the  subject  of  agri- 
culture. 

"  The  lectures,  looked  at  from  a  modern  standpoint,  are  of 
unequal  value.  The  method  of  food-analysis  is  very  poor,  and  it 
is  somewhat  surprising  that  tlie  accurate  mode  of  determining 
nitrogen  employed  by  Gay  Lussac  is  not  made  use  of  in  Davy's 
analyses.  Nevertheless  he  manages  to  ascertain  that  spring 
sown  wheat  is  i-icher  in  gluten  than  autumn  sown,  and  the  wheat 
of  hot  countries  richer  than  the  wheat  of  temperate  regions, 
statements  which  are  quite  correct. 

"  Lecture  VI.  is  decidedly  jjoor.  Davy  believes  that  plants 
feed  on  carbonaceous  matter  by  their  roots,  and  this  mistaken 
theory  leads  him  to  assign  an  undue  value  to  organic  substances  as 
manures.     It  seems  curious  nowadays  to  find  the  whole  subject 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  99 

of  manures  treated  with  hardly  any  reference  to  then-  contents  in 
nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid,  or  potash. 

"  Lecture  IV.  is  one  of  his  best  lectures,  full  of  keen  observa- 
tion and  suggestive  experiment. 

"  The  references  to  his  own  agricultural  experiments  are  very 
numerous  ;  he  seems  to  have  made  experiments  on  every  subject 
of  inquiry  that  came  before  him.  There  is  however  no  attempt 
at  an  extended  and  thorough  investigation  of  any  subject,  and 
for  want  of  this  the  truth  is  sometimes  missed.  Thus  in  his 
trials  of  various  ammonium  salts  as  manures  he  finds  the  car- 
bonate to  be  effective,  the  chloride  to  be  of  little  value,  and  the 
sulphate  of  no  good  at  all,  whereas  the  last-named  salt  is  now 
generally  chosen  as  a  manure. 

"There  are  some  paragraphs  that  read  like  the  inspirations 
of  genius,  though  it  is  now  of  course  difficult  to  tell  to  what 
extent  his  statements  and  opinions  were  warranted  by  the  facts 
then  known.  He  gives  a  wonderfully  correct  idea  of  the  action 
of  peas  or  beans  in  rotation,  even  including  the  statement  that 
they  obtain  their  nitrogen  from  the  atmosphei'e." 

Although  his  time  and  energy  were  necessarily  largely 
absorbed  by  the  demands  of  the  Managers,  Davy  never 
lost  sight  of  the  subject  of  voltaic  electricity,  and  at 
intervals  he  was  able  to  resume  his  inquiries  upon  it. 
What  specially  impressed  him  was  the  power  of  the 
voltaic  pile  as  an  analytic  agent;  and  his  laboratory 
journals,  preserved  at  the  Royal  Institution,  record  the 
results  of  numerous  trials  on  the  behaviour  of  compound 
substances  under  its  influence.  In  spite  of  innumerable 
distractions  and  constant  interruptions,  due  mainly  to 
the  precarious  position  of  the  Institution,  Davy  gradually 
succeeded  in  unravelling  the  fundamental  laws  of  electro- 
chemistry,  and  in  thus  importing  a  new  order  of  con- 
ceptions, altogether  unlooked  for  and  undreamt  of,  into 
science.  This  really  constitutes  his  greatest  claim  as 
a  philosopher  to  our  admiration  and  gratitude.  The 
isolation  of  the  metals  of  the  alkalis,  and  the  proof  of 
G  2 


100  IfUMrilKV    DAVY, 

the  ct)iii|>i»un(l  Uiilurc  of  the  alkaline  earths,  were  un- 
questionably achievements  of  the  lH<,'hest  brilliancy,  and 
as  such  appeal  stronf:^l3^  to  the  popular  imagination. 
But  they  were  only  the  necessary  and  consequential 
links  in  a  chain  of  discovery  which,  had  Davy  neglected 
to  make  them,  would  have  been  immediately  forged  by 
others.  It  is  significant  that  almost  innnediately  after 
the  capital  discovery  of  Nicholson  and  Carlisle,  Dr. 
Henry  of  Manchester,  the  well-known  friend  and 
collabt)rator  of  Dalton,  should  have  made  the  attempt 
to  separate  the  presumed  metallic  pi-inci^^le  of  potash 
by  the  agency  of  voltaic  electricity. 

Davy  communicated  the  results  of  his  inquiries  made 
prior  to  the  sununer  of  1806  in  a  paper  to  the  Royal 
Society,  which  was  made  the  Bakerian  lecture  of  the 
year.^  It  is  entitled  "On  some  chemical  Agencies  of 
Electricity,"  and  is  divided  in  nine  sections  and  an 
introduction.  In  the  first  section,  "  On  the  Clianges 
produced  by  Electricit}^  in  Water,"  he  set  at  rest  the 
disputed  question  as  to  the  origin  of  the  acid  and 
alkaline  matter  Avhich  had  been  observed  to  form  during 
the  electrol3^sis  of  this  liquid.  By  some  these  substances 
were  supposed  to  be  generated  from  pure  Avater  by  the 

*  This  lecture,  which  is  one  of  the  events  of  each  session  of  the  Royal 
Society,  owes  its  origin  to  Mr.  Henry  Baker,  F.R.S.,  a  learned  antiquaiy 
and  naturalist,  who,  hy  his  will  of  July,  1763,  bequeathed  the  sum  of 
£100  to  the  Society,  the  interest  of  which  was  to  be  applied  "  for  an 
oration  or  discourse  to  be  spoken  or  read  yearly  by  some  one  of  the  Fellows 
of  that  Society,  on  such  part  of  Xatural  History  or  Experimental  Philo- 
sophy, at  such  time,  and  in  such  manner,  as  the  President  and  Council 
of  the  said  Society  for  the  time  being,  shall  please  to  order  and  appoint." 
Baker  died  in  1774,  and  the  bequest  came  into  operation  during  the 
presidency  of  Sir  John  Pringle  ;  and  Peter  Woulfe — one  of  the  last  of  the 
English  alchemists — was  appointed  to  deliA'er  the  lecture,  which  he  did 
for  three  successive  years. 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  101 

action  of  electricity  ;  and  M.  Briignatelli  had  even  at- 
tempted to  prove  the  existence  of  a  body  sui  generis 
which  he  termed  the  electric  acid.  By  a  series  of 
convincing  experiments  Davy  showed  that  the  sub- 
stances were  due  to  the  presence  of  saHne  matter  in 
the  water,  derived  either  from  faulty  purification,  or 
from  the  solvent  action  of  the  water  on  the  vessels,  etc., 
with  which  it  was  in  contact.  Cruickshank  had  found 
that  m  some  cases  the  acid  Avas  nitric  acid  and  the 
alkali  ammonia :  these  substances  were  shown  by  Davy 
to  be  due  to  the  presence  of  dissolved  air.  When  pure 
water,  contained  in  vessels  on  which  it  exerted  no 
solvent  action,  was  "electrised"  in  vacuo,  not  a  trace  of 
either  acid  or  alkali  was  produced. 

In  the  second  section,  "  On  the  Agencies  of  Electricity 
in  the  Decomposition  of  various  Compounds,"  he  begins 
by  pointing  out  that  in  all  the  experiments  recorded  in 
the  preceding  section — that  is,  in  all  changes  in  which 
acid  and  alkaline  matter  had  been  present — the  acid 
matter  collected  in  the  water  round  the  positive  pole, 
and  the  alkaline  matter  round  the  negative  pole.  This 
he  shows  to  be  true  even  of  such  sparingly  soluble 
substances  as  gypsum,  the  sulphates  of  strontium  and 
barium,  and  fluorspar.  By  connecting  together  cups 
or  vessels  made  of  the  substances  under  investigation 
by  a  thread  of  well-washed  asbestos,  as  suggested  by 
Wollaston,  he  found  that  in  all  cases  the  acid  element 
collected  round  the  positive,  and  the  earthy  base  round 
the  negative  pole.  Basalt  from  Antrim,  a  zeolite  from 
the  Giant's  Causeway,  vitreous  lava  from  Etna,  and 
even  glass,  in  like  manner  yielded  alkaline  matter  to 
water  when  subjected  to  the  action  of  voltaic  electricity. 
Soluble  salts,  such  as  the  sulphates  of  sodium,  potassium, 
and  ammonium,  the  nitrates  of  potassium  and  barium. 


102  HUMPHRY   DAW, 

the  succinate,  oxiilatc  and  bonzoate  of  ammonium,  wore 
similarly  decomposed :  the  acids  in  a  certain  time 
collected  in  the  tube  containint,'  the  positive  wire,  and 
the  alkalis  and  earths  in  that  containinu;'  the  negative 
wire.  W'luii  metallic  solutions,  such  as  those  of  iron, 
zinc,  and  tin  were  employed,  metallic  crystals  or  de- 
positions were  formed  on  the  negative  wire,  and  oxide 
was  likewise  deposited  round  it;  and  a  great  excess  of 
acid  was  soon  found  in  the  opposite  cup. 

In  the  next  section,  "  On  the  Transfer  of  Certain  of 
the  Constituent  Parts  of  Bodies  by  the  Action  of  Elec- 
tricity," he  points  out  that  the  observations  of  Gautherot 
and  of  Hisinger  and  Berzolius  rendered  it  probable  that 
the  saline  elements  evolved  in  decompositions  by  elec- 
tricity were  capable  of  being  transferred  from  one 
electrified  surface  to  another,  according  to  their  usual 
order  of  arrangement,  but  that  exact  observations  on 
this  point  were  wanting.  He  connected  a  cup  of  gypsum 
with  one  of  agate  by  means  of  asbestos,  and  filling  each 
with  piu'itied  water,  he  inserted  the  negative  wire  of  the 
battery  in  the  agate  cup,  and  the  positive  wire  in  that  of 
the  sulphate  of  lime.  In  about  four  hours  he  found 
a  strong  solution  of  lime  in  the  agate  cup,  and  sulphuric 
acid  in  that  of  gypsum.  By  reversing  the  order,  and 
carrying  on  the  process  for  a  similar  length  of  time,  the 
sulphuric  acid  appeared  in  the  agate  cup,  and  the  solu- 
tion of  lime  on  the  opposite  side.  Many  trials  were  made 
with  other  saline  substances  with  analoi^^ous  results. 

The  time  required  for  these  transmissions  (the 
quantity  and  intensity  of  the  electricity,  and  other 
circumstances  remaining  the  same)  seemed  to  be  re- 
lated to  the  length  of  the  intermediate  colunm  of 
water. 

To    ascertain    whether    the    contact    of    the    saline 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  103 

solution  with  a  metallic  surface  was  necessary  for  the 
decomposition  and  transference,  he  introduced  purified 
water  into  two  glass  tubes  ;  a  vessel  containing  solution  of 
potassium  chloride  was  connected  with  each  of  the  tubes 
by  means  of  asbestos ;  on  introducing  the  wires  into  the 
tubes  alkaline  matter  soon  appeared  in  one  tube,  and 
acid  matter  in  the  other ;  and  in  the  course  of  a  few 
hours  moderately  strong  solutions  of  potash  and  of 
hydrochloric  acid  were  formed. 

Two  tubes,  one  containing  distilled  water,  the  other 
a  solution  of  potassium  sulphate,  were  each  connected  by 
asbestos  threads  with  a  vessel  containing  a  dilute  solution 
of  litmus ;  the  saline  matter  was  negatively  electrified  ; 
and  as  it  Avas  natural  to  suppose  that  the  sulphuric  acid 
in  passing  through  the  water  to  the  positive  side  would 
redden  the  litmus  in  its  course,  some  slips  of  litmus 
paper  were  placed  above  and  below  the  pieces  of  asbestos, 
directly  in  the  circuit :  it  was  found  that  the  acid  and 
alkali  passed  through  the  litmus  solution  without 
effecting  any  change  in  colour. 

"  As  acid  and  alkaline  substances  during  the  time  of  their 
electrical  transfer  passed  through  water  containing  vegetable 
colours  without  affecting  them,  or  apparently  combining  with 
them,  it  immediately  became  an  object  of  inquiry  whether  they 
would  not  likewise  pass  through  chemical  menstrua  having 
stronger  attractions  for  them  ;  and  it  seemed  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  the  same  power  which  destroyed  elective  affinity 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  metallic  points  would  likewise  destroy  it, 
or  suspend  its  operation,  throughout  the  whole  of  the  circuit." 

To  test  this  supposition,  solution  of  potassium  sul- 
phate was  placed  in  contact  with  the  negative  wire,  and 
pure  water  in  contact  with  the  positive  Avire  and  a  weak 
solution  of  anmionia  was  made  the  middle  link  of  the 
conducting  chain,  so  that  no  sulphuric  acid  could  pass 


104  HUMPHKV    DAW, 

to  tho  positive  pole  in  the  distilled  water  without  passing 
throuL,di  the  solution  of  ammonia. 

In  less  than  five  minutes  it  was  found  that  acid  was 
collecting  round  the  positive  pole,  and  in  half  an  hour 
the  water  was  sour  to  the  taste,  and  gave  a  precipitate 
with  barium  nitrate.  Hydrochloric  acid  from  common 
salt,  and  nitric  acid  from  nitre  were  transmitted  through 
concentrated  alkaline  menstrua  under  similar  circum- 
stances. Strontia  and  bai-yta  readily  passed,  like  the 
other  alkaline  substances,  through  hydrochloric  and 
nitric  acids:  and  vice  versa  these  acids  passed  with 
facility  through  aqueous  solution  of  baryta  and  strontia  ; 
but  it  was  impossible  to  pass  sulphuric  acid  through 
baryta  or  strontia,  or  to  pass  baryta  and  strontia  through 
sulphuric  acid,  as  precipitates  of  insoluble  barium  and 
strontium  sulphate  were  formed. 

In  the  next  section,  "  On  Some  General  Observations 
on  these  Phenomena,  and  on  the  Mode  of  Decomposition 
and  Transition,"  he  summarises  the  foregoing  results  : — 

"  It  will  be  a  general  expression  of  the  facts  that  have  been 
detailed,  relating  to  the  changes  and  transitions  by  electricity,  in 
common  jjliilosophical  language,  to  .say  that  hydrogen,  the  alkaline 
substances,  the  metals,  and  certain  metallic  oxides,  are  attracted 
by  negatively  electrified  metallic  surfaces,  and  repelled  by  posi- 
tively electrified  metallic  surfaces  ;  and  contrariwise,  that  oxygen 
and  acid  substances  are  attracted  by  positively  electrified  metallic 
surfaces,  and  repelled  by  negatively  electrified  metallic  surfaces  ; 
and  these  attractive  and  repulsive  forces  are  sufficiently  energetic 
to  destroy  or  suspend  the  usual  operation  of  elective  affinity. 

"  It  is  very  natural  to  suppose,  that  the  repellent  and  attract- 
ive energies  are  communicated  from  one  partic'e  to  another 
particle  of  the  same  kind,  .so  as  to  establish  a  conducting  chain 
in  the  fluid ;  and  that  the  locomotion  takes  place  in  consequence  ; 
and  that  this  is  really  the  case  seems  to  be  shown  by  many 
facts.    Thus,  in  all  the  instances  in   which  I  examined  alkaline 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  105 

solutions  through  which  acids  had  been  transmitted,  I  always 
found  acid  in  them  whenever  any  acid  matter  remained  at  the 
original  source.     .     .     . 

"  In  the  cases  of  the  separation  of  the  constituents  of  water, 
and  of  solutions  of  neutral  salts  forming  the  whole  of  the  chain, 
there  may  possibly  be  a  succession  of  decompositions,  and  re- 
compositions  throughout  the  fluid.  And  this  idea  is  strengthened 
by  the  experiments  on  the  attempt  to  pass  barytes  through 
sulphuric  acid,  and  muriatic  acid  through  solution  of  sulphate  of 
silver,  in  which  as  insoluble  compounds  are  formed,  and  carried 
out  of  the  sphere  of  the  electrical  action,  the  power  of  transfer 
is  destroyed." 

In  the  next  section,  "  On  the  General  Principles  of 
the  Chemical  Changes  produced  by  Electricitj^,"  he 
points  out  that  it  had  been  already  shown  by  Bennet 
that  many  bodies  brought  into  contact  and  afterwards 
separated  exhibited  opiwsite  states  of  electricity ;  and 
that  this  observation  had  been  confirmed  and  extended 
by  Volta,  who  had  supposed  that  it  also  takes  place  with 
regard  to  metals  and  fluids.  In  his  paper  in  the  Philo- 
sophical Transactions  of  1801,  the  first  he  sent  to  the 
Fioyal  Society,  Davy  had  shown  that  when  alternations 
of  single  metallic  plates  and  acid  and  alkaline  solutions 
were  employed  in  the  construction  of  voltaic  combina- 
tions, the  alkaline  solutions  always  received  the  elec- 
tricity from  the  metal,  and  the  acid  always  transmitted 
it  to  the  metal. 

In  the  simplest  case  of  electrical  action,  the  alkali 
which  receives  electricity  from  the  metal  would  neces- 
sarily, on  being  separated  from  it,  appear  positive,  whilst 
the  acid  under  similar  circumstances  Avould  be  neo-a- 
tive ;  and  these  bodies,  having  respectively  with  regard 
to  the  metals  that  which  may  be  called  a  positive 
and  a  negative  electrical  energy,  in  their  repellent  and 
attractive  functions   seem   to  be  governed  by  laws  the 


lOl)  HUiMIMIItV     DAW, 

same  :vs  the  common  laws  of  electrical  attraction  and 
repulsion. 

The  seventh  section  treats  of  "  The  Relations  between 
the  Electrical  Energies  of  Bodies  and  their  Chemical 
AlHnities  ": — 

"As  the  (.•homical  attraction  between  two  bodies  seems  to  be 
ilestroyed  liy  giving  one  of  tliem  an  electrical  state  diflFerent  from 
that  which  it  naturally  possesses  ;  that  is,  by  bringing  it  artificially 
into  a  state  similar  to  the  other,  so  it  may  be  increased  by  exalting 
its  natural  energy.  Thus,  whilst  zinc,  one  of  the  most  oxidable  of 
the  metals,  is  incapable  of  combining  with  oxygen  when  negatively 
electrified  in  the  circuit,  even  by  a  feeble  power  ;  silver,  one  of 
the  least  oxidai>lc,  easily  unites  to  it  when  i)ositively  electrified  ; 
and  the  same  thing  might  be  said  of  other  metals.  Amongst  the 
substiinces  that  combine  chemically,  all  those,  the  electrical 
energies  of  which  are  well  known,  exhilut  opposite  states ;  thus 
copper  and  zinc,  gold  and  quicksilver,  sulphur  and  the  metals, 
the  acid  and  alkaline  substances,  aflford  opposite  instances;  and 
supposing  perfect  freedom  of  motion  in  their  particles  or  elemen- 
tary matter,  they  ought  according  to  the  principles  laid  down,  to 
attract  each  other  in  consequence  of  their  electrical  powers.  In 
the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  it  would  he  useless  to  attempt 
to  speculate  on  the  remote  cause  of  the  electrical  Energy,  or  the 
reason  why  different  bodies,  after  being  brought  into  contact 
should  1)6  found  differently  electrified  ;  its  relation  to  chemical 
attinity  is  however,  sufficiently  evident.  May  it  not  be  identical 
with  it,  and  an  essential  property  of  matter  1" 

How  Davy  sought  to  elaborate  a  theory  of  chemical 
athnity  on  these  facts  will  be  sufficiently  obvious  from 
the  following  extracts  : — 

"  Supposing  two  bodies,  the  particles  of  which  are  in  diflFerent 
electrical  states,  and  those  states  sufficiently  exalted  to  give  them 
an  attractive  force  superior  to  the  power  of  aggregation,  a  com- 
l)ination  would  take  place  which  would  be  more  or  less  intense 
according  as  the  energies  were  more  or  less  perfectly  balanced ; 
and  the  change  of  properties  would  l)e  correspondently  propor- 
tional." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  107 

"  When  two  bodies  repellent  of  each  other  act  upon  the  same 
body  with  different  degrees  of  the  same  electrical  attracting 
energy,  the  combination  would  be  determined  by  the  degree  ;  and 
the  substance  possessing  the  weakest  energy  would  be  repelled  ; 
and  this  principle  would  afford  an  expression  of  the  causes  of 
elective  affinity  and  the  decompositions  produced  in  consequence." 

"  Or  where  the  bodies  having  different  degrees  of  the  same 
energy,  with  regard  to  the  third  body,  had  likewise  different 
energies  with  regard  to  each  other,  there  might  be  such  a  balance 
of  attractive  and  repellent  powers  as  to  produce  a  triple  compound  ; 
and  by  the  extension  of  this  reasoning,  complicated  chemical 
union  may  be  easily  explained." 

As  the  combined  effect  of  many  particles  possessing 
a  feeble  electrical  energy  may  be  conceived  equal  or 
even  superior  to  the  effect  of  a  few  particles  possessing  a 
strong  electrical  energy,  the  same  principle  may  explain 
the  infiuence  of  mass  action,  as  elucidated  by  Berthollet. 

He  conceives  also  that  it  may  be  possible  to  obtain 
a  measure  of  chemical  affinity  founded  upon  the  energy 
of  the  voltaic  apparatus  required  to  destroy  the  chemical 
equilibrium.  He  points  out  that,  as  light  and  heat  are 
the  common  consequences  of  the  restoration  of  the 
equilibrium  between  bodies  in  a  high  state  of  opposite 
electricities,  so  it  is  perhaps  an  additional  circumstance 
in  favour  of  his  theory  to  state  that  heat  and  light  are 
likewise  the  result  of  all  intense  chemical  action.  And  as 
in  certain  forms  of  the  voltaic  battery  when  large  quan- 
tities of  electricity  of  low  intensity  act,  heat  is  produced 
without  liyht ;  so  in  slow  combinations  there  is  an 
increase  of  temperature  without  luminous  appearance. 
The  effect  of  heat  in  producing  combination  may,  he 
assumes,  be  also  explained  according  to  these  ideas.  It 
not  only  gives  more  freedom  of  motion  to  the  particles, 
but  in  a  number  of  cases — e.g.  tourmaline,  sulphur,  etc. 
— it  seems  to  exalt  the  electrical  energies  of  bodies. 


108  HrMl'HRV    DAVY, 

In  the  eij^hth  section  he  seeks  to  apply  these  prmciplcs 
to  the  mode  ot"  action  of  the  voUaic  pile,  and  to  ex})lain 
the  nature  of  the  changes  which  occur  between  the 
plates  and  the  exciting  Huid,  and  he  points  out  that  the 
theory  in  some  measure  reconciles  the  hypothetical 
principles  of  the  action  of  the  pile  adopted  by  its  in- 
ventor with  the  opinions  concerning  the  chemical  origin 
of  galvanism  held  by  the  majority  of  British  men  of 
science  at  that  period.  At  the  same  time,  Davy  argues 
that  the  facts  are  in  contradiction  to  the  assumption 
that  chemical  changes  are  the  primary  causes  of  the 
phenomena  of  galvanism.  Moreover,  in  mere  cases  of 
chemical  change — as  in  iron  burning  in  oxygen,  the 
dcHao^ration  of  nitre  Avith  charcoal,  the  combination  of 
potash  with  sulphuric  acid,  the  amalgamation  of  zinc, 
— electricity  is  never  exhibited. 

In  the  concluding  section  he  trusts  that  many 
applications  of  the  general  facts  and  principles  thus 
indicated  to  the  processes  of  chemistry,  both  in  art 
and  in  nature,  may  suggest  themselves  to  the  philo- 
sophical inquirer.  It  is  not  imj^robable,  he  thinks,  that 
the  electric  decomposition  of  the  neutral  salts  in  different 
cases  may  admit  of  economical  uses.  He  is  induced  to 
hojje  that  the  new  mode  of  analysis  may  lead  to  the 
discovery  of  the  true  elements  of  bodies: — 

"  For  if  cbeniical  union  be  of  the  nature  wliicli  I  have  ventured 
to  suppose,  however  strong  the  natural  electrical  energies  of  the 
elements  of  bodies  may  be,  yet  there  is  every  probability  of  a 
limit  to  their  strength  :  whereas  the  powers  of  our  artifical  in- 
struments seem  capable  of  indefinite  increase." 

Phenomena  similar  to  those  occurring  in  the  voltaic 
cell  must  be  produced  in  various  parts  of  the  interior 
strata  of  our  globe,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  many 
mineral  formations  have  been  materially  influenced,  or 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  109 

even  occasioned,  by  such  action.  The  electrical  power 
of  transference  may  serve  to  explain  some  of  the 
principal  and  most  mysterious  facts  in  geology. 

"Natural  electricity  has  hitherto  been  little  investigated, 
except  in  the  case  of  its  evident  and  powerful  concentration  in 
the  atmosphere.  Its  slow  and  silent  operations  in  every  part  of 
the  surface  will  probably  be  found  more  immediately  and  im- 
portantly connected  with  the  order  and  economy  of  nature  ;  and 
investigations  on  this  subject  can  hardly  fail  to  enlighten  our 
philosophical  systems  of  the  earth,  and  may  possibly  place  new 
powers  within  our  reach." 

The  publication  of  this  paper  exercised  a  profound 
sensation,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Berzelius,  years 
afterwards,  spoke  of  it  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
memoirs  that  had  ever  enriched  the  theory  of  chemistry 
— and  the  praise  is  the  more  significant  when  it  is  re- 
membered that  Davy  had  thereby  seemed  to  have  taken 
possession  of  a  field  of  inquiry  which  the  Swedish 
chemist,  who  was  only  a  year  younger  than  Davy,  had 
been  among  the  first  to  enter.  Still  more  significant 
was  the  action  of  the  French  Institute.  Bonaparte, 
when  First  Consul,  had  announced  to  the  Institute  his 
intention  of  founding  a  medal  "  for  the  best  experiment 
which  should  be  made  in  the  course  of  each  year  on  the 
galvanic  fluid,"  and  had  further  expressed  his  desire  to 
give  the  sum  of  sixty  thousand  francs  "  a  cehii  qui,  par 
ses  experiences  et  ses  decouvertes  fera  a  faire  a  I'electricite 
et  au  galvanisme  un  pas  comparable  a  celui  qu'ont  fait 
faire  a  ces  sciences  Franklin  et  Volta."  A  committee 
of  the  Institute,  consisting  of  Laplace,  Halle,  Coulomb, 
Hauy  and  Biot,  was  appointed  to  consider  the  best 
means  of  accomplishing  the  wishes  of  the  First  Consul, 
and  twelve  months  after  the  publication  of  the  Bakerian 
lecture  they  awarded  its  author  the  medal.     Whether 


110  IMMrilDY    DAW, 

tlic  Instituto  had  tho  iikmiis  of  awarding  the  sixty 
tlionsand  francs  as  well  is  ]\\ovv  tlian  doubtful,  for  it 
docs  not  appear  that  the  sum  named  hy  lionapartc  ever 
wont  lievond  the  promise  of  it.  All  that  the  Institute 
got  for  themselves  was,  as  AFaria  Edgeworth  said,  "a 
rating  all  round  in  imperial  I'illingsgate."  The  two 
countries  at  this  period  were  at  war,  and  the  feeling  of 
animt>sity  was  most  bitter.  Of  course,  there  were 
persons  who  said  that  patriotism  should  forbid  the 
acceptance  of  the  award.  Davy's  own  view  was  more 
sensible  and  politic.  "Some  people,"  he  said  to  his 
friend  Poole,  "  say  I  ought  not  to  accept  this  prize ; 
and  there  have  been  foolish  paragraphs  in  the  papers 
to  that  effect;  but  if  the  two  countries  or  governments 
are  at  war,  the  men  of  science  are  not.  That  would, 
indeed,  be  a  civil  war  of  the  worst  description :  Ave 
should  rather,  through  the  instrumentaUty  of  men  of 
science,  soften  the  asperities  of  national  hostility." 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE    ISOLATION    OF    THE    METALS    OF    THE    ALKALIS. 

However  devoted  Davy  might  be  to  scientific  investi- 
gation, he  was  no  less  mindful  of  the  sacred  claims  of 
the  long  vacation.  In  the  summer  of  1805  he  Avent  to 
the  Lake  Country,  Avhere  he  met  Scott  in  company 
Avith  ^Vordsworth ;  and  the  occasion  on  which  the  party 
"  climbed  the  dark  broAv  of  the  mighty  Helvellyn,"  and 
Avhich  gave  rise  to  Scott's  well-knoAvn  poem,  is  thus 
referred  to  by  Lockhart : — 

"  This  day  they  were  accompanied  by  an  illustrious  philosopher 
[Davy],  who  was  also  a  true  poet — and  might  have  been  one  of  the 
greatest  of  poets  had  he  chosen ;  and  I  have  heard  Mr.  Words- 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  Ill 

worth  say,  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  express  the  feelings  with 
which  he,  who  so  often  had  climbed  Helvellyn  alone,  found  himself 
standing  on  its  summit  with  two  such  men  as  Scott  and  Davy." 

But  the  greater  part  of  this  suirimer  he  spent  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  examining  the  extraordinary  geological 
features  of  that  district.  Lady  Brownrigg,  the  sister  of 
the  Bishop  of  Raphoe,  has  given  a  spirited  little  account 
of  her  impressions  of  his  appearance  and  manner  at 
that  period.     She  was,  she  says,  ver}^  3^oung  at  the  time. 

"  We  had  been  invited  (I  say  we,  for  I  was  then  with  the 
Bishop  of  Raphoe)  by  Dr.  Richardson  to  go  to  his  cottage  at 
Portrush,  'to  meet  the  famous  Mr.  Davy.'  We  arrived  a  short 
time  before  dinner.  In  passing  through  a  room  we  saw  a  youth, 
as  he  appeared,  who  had  come  in  from  fishing,  and  who,  with  a 
little  note-book,  was  seated  in  a  window-seat,  having  left  a  liag, 
rod  (fee,  on  the  ground.  He  was  very  intent  upon  this  little 
book,  and  we  passed  through  unnoticed.  We  shook  hands  with 
our  host  and  hostess,  and  prepared  for  dinner.  I  went  into 
the  drawing-room,  under  some  little  awe  of  this  great  philo- 
sopher, annexing  to  such  a  character  at  least  the  idea  of  an 
elderly  grave  gentleman,  not  perhaps,  Avith  so  large  a  wig  as  Dr. 
Parr,  or  so  sententious  a  manner  as  Dr.  Johnson, — but  certainly 
I  never  calculated  on  being  introduced  to  the  identical  youth, 
with  a  little  brown  head,  like  a  boy,  that  we  had  seen  with  his 
book,  and  who,  when  I  came  into  the  drawing-room  was  in  the 
most  animated  manner  recounting  an  adventure  on  the  Causeway 
which  had  entertained  him  and  from  his  manner  of  telling  it  was 
causing  loud  laughing  in  the  whole  room." 

Davy  also  spent  much  of  the  summer  of  1806  in 
Ireland,  and  the  journal  which  he  kept  during  his  tour 
contains  many  interesting  notes  of  his  impressions  of 
the  coimtry  and  the  people.  In  the  course  of  his 
journey  he  visited  Edgeworthstown — "  the  moral  and 
intellectual  paradise  of  the  author  of  '  Castle  Rackrent,' 
as  he  calls  it.  That  gifted  lady  tells  her  cousin 
Sophy  Ruxton  that  as  the  result  her  head  "  was  stuffed 


1 1-2  nu.Ml'lll;^•   DAW. 

lull  (»!'  <^fL'ologic;il  and  chomical  facts."  ",Mr.  Davy," 
she  adds,  "  is  wondcrliilly  improved  since  you  saw  him 
ai  IJristol  ;  he  has  an  amazing  fund  of  knowledge  upon 
all  subjects,  and  a  great  deal  of  genius." 

There  was  nnich  in  Davy's  own  temperament  to 
make  him  understand  and  appreciate  the  Irish  char- 
acter: himself  a  man  of  quick  impulse  and  active 
sympathv,  he  was  profoundly  moved  by  the  spectacle  of 
Ireland's  political  degradation.  In  a  letter  to  his  friend 
Poole,  written  after  his  return  to  London,  he  says : — 

•'  T  long  very  nmcli  for  the  intercourse  of  a  week  with  you  : 
1  have  very  nuich  to  say  about  Ireland.  It  is  an  island  which 
might  be  made  a  new  and  a  great  country.  It  now  boasts  a 
fertile  soil,  an  ingenious  and  robust  peasantry,  and  a  rich  aris- 
tocracy; but  the  bane  of  the  nation  is  the  equality  of  ])Overty 
amongst  the  lower  orders.  All  are  slaves,  without  the  probability 
of  becoming  free;  they  are  in  the  state  of  ei)Uality  which  the 
nans  culottes  wished  for  in  France  ;  and  until  emulation,  and 
riches,  and  the  love  of  clothes  and  neat  houses  are  introduced 
among  them,  tliere  will  be  no  permanent  improvement. 

"  Changes  in  jjolitical  institutions  can,  at  first,  do  little 
towards  serving  them ;  it  must  be  by  altering  their  habits,  by 
diffusing  manufactories,  by  destroying  middlnnen.  by  dividing 
farms,  and  by  promoting  industry  by  making  the  pay  proportional 
to  the  work  :  but  I  ought  not  to  attempt  to  say  anything  on  the 
subject  when  my  limits  are  so  narrow ;  I  hope  soon  to  converse 
with  you  about  it." 

With  the  exception  of  a  rapid  journey  into  Cornwall, 
for  the  sake  of  seeing  his  family,  he  spent  the  greater 
part  of  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1807  in  town.  He 
had  been  made  Secretary  of  the  Royal  Society  in 
succession  to  Gra}^  and  was  obliged  to  be  in  or  near 
London  in  order  to  see  the  Ph'domi:)]iical  Trcmsactioiis 
through  the  press.  From  the  Laboratory  Journal  it  would 
appear  that  he  was  occupied  at  this  time  on  a  variety  of 


POET  AND   PHILOSOPHER.  113 

disconnected  investigations  such  as  the  nature  of 
Antwerp  Bhie,  and  the  effect  of  electricity  on  flame. 
In  a  letter  to  Davies  Gilbert,  dated  September  12th,  he 
states  that  he  has  been  a  good  deal  engaged  in  experi- 
ments on  distillation  for  revenue  purposes. 

Towards  the  end  of  this  month,  or  during  the  first 
week  of  October,  he  resumed  his  experiments  with  the 
voltaic  battery,  and  he  was  led  to  study  its  action  on 
the  alkalis.  There  is  some  evidence  that  he  had  attacked 
the  same  question  at  Bristol.  In  a  note-book  of  that 
period,  under  date  August  Gth,  l.SOO,  is  the  following  sen- 
tence :  "  I  cannot  close  this  notice  without  feeling  graceful 
to  M.  Volta,  Mr.  Nicholson,  and  Mr.  Carlisle,  whose  ex- 
perience has  placed  such  a  wonderful  and  important 
instrument  of  analysis  in  my  power " — evidently  a 
jotting  to  be  used  in  one  of  the  short  communications  to 
Nicholson's  Journal.  This  is  immediately  followed  by 
"  Query  :  Would  not  potash,  dissolved  in  spirits  of  wine, 
become  a  conductor  ? "  And  he  then  gives  an  account 
of  some  experiments  on  the  action  of  voltaic  electricity 
on  aqueous  solutions  of  ammonia,  caustic  potash,  and 
hydrochloric  acid,  which  apparently  led  to  the  same 
result  as  that  already  obtained  by  Nicholson  and  Carlisle 
in  the  case  of  water. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  whether  he  had  any  precise 
idea  in  again  attacking  the  problem,  or  any  expectation 
of  a  definite  result.  In  one  of  his  lectures  at  the  Royal 
Institution  on  Electro-Chemical  .Science,  delivered  some 
time  subsequently,  he  said  he  had  a  suspicion  at  that 
time  that  potash  might  turn  out  to  be  "  phosphorus,  or 
sulphur  united  to  nitrogen "  : 

"  For  as  the  volatile  alkali  was  regarded  as  composed  of  an 
extremely  fight  inflammable  body — hydrogen — united  to  nitrogen, 
I  conceived  that  'phosphorus  and  sulphur,  much  denser  bodies, 
II 


114  HUMPHRY   DAVY, 

might  in-oduce  denser  alkaline  matter  ;  and  as  there  were  no 
known  combination  of  these  with  nitroffen,  it  was  proba1)le  that 
there  might  be  unknown  combinations." 

Davy  once  said  that  "  analogy  was  the  fruitful 
parent  of  error " ;  and  the  whole  history  of  science 
probably  furnishes  no  more  extraordinar}^  instance  of 
perverted  analogy,  or  one  more  unexpected  in  its  con- 
sequences. In  another  of  his  lectures  he  said  of  the 
alchemists  that  "even  their  failures  developed  some 
unsoiight-for  object  partaking  of  the  marvellous  " — and 
the  statement  in  this  case  is  even  more  true  of  himself. 
Each  ])hase  in  the  story  of  this  discovery  indeed  partakes 
of  the  marvellous.  Sometime  durinof  the  tirst  fortnio^ht 
in  October,  ]  807,  he  obtained  his  tirst  decisive  result ;  and 
on  the  19th  of  November  he  delivered  what  is  generally 
retjarded  as  the  most  memorable  of  all  his  Bakerian 
lectures,  "  On  some  new  Phenomena  of  chemical 
Changes  produced  by  Electricity,  particularly  the  De- 
composition of  the  fixed  Alkalies,  and  the  Exhibition 
of  the  new  substances  which  constitute  their  bases ; 
and  on  the  general  Nature  of  alkaline  Bodies."  Few 
discoveries  of  like  magnitude  have  been  made  and 
perfected  in  so  short  a  time,  and  few  memoirs  have  been 
more  momentous  in  result  than  that  which  Davy  put 
together  in  a  few  hours,  and  in  which  he  announced  his 
results  to  the  world.  The  whole  work  was  done  under 
conditions  of  great  mental  excitement.  His  cousin 
Edmund  Davy,  Avho  at  the  time  acted  as  his  assistant, 
relates  that  when  he  saw  the  minute  globules  of  the 
quicksilver-like  metal  burst  through  the  crust  of  potash 
and  take  fire,  his  joy  knew  no  bounds ;  he  actually 
danced  about  the  room  in  ecstasy,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  he  was  sufficiently  composed  to  continue  his 
experiments.     The  rapidity  w^th  which  he  accumulated 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  115 

results  after  this  tirst  feeling  of  delirious  delight  had 
passed  was  extraordinary.  Before  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber he  had  obtained  most  of  the  leading  facts.  In  a 
letter  dated  November  13th  he  tells  W.  H.  Pepys — 

"  I  have  decomposed  and  recomposed  the  fixed  alkalies,  and 
discovered  their  bases  to  be  two  new  inflammable  substances 
very  like  metals ;  but  one  of  them  lighter  than  ether,  and  in- 
finitely combustible.  So  that  there  are  two  bodies  decomposed, 
and  two  new  elementary  bodies  found." 

The  stories  told  by  Paris  of  his  habits  at  this  period, 
and  of  his  various  expedients  to  gain  time — of  his  rushing 
off  to  dinner  with  persons  of  the  highest  rank  with  no 
fewer  than  live  shirts  on,  and  as  many  pairs  of  stockings, 
because  in  his  haste  he  could  not  put  on  fresh  linen 
without  removing  that  which  was  underneath  ;  of  his 
continuino-  his  chemical  labours  on  his  return  to  the 
laboratory  until  three  or  four  in  the  morning ;  and  of 
his  then  being  up  before  the  servants,  are  certainly 
much  exaggerated,  if  not  wholly  apocryphal.  He  was, 
it  is  true,  not  very  systematic  in  the  disposal  of  his 
time,  but  he  seldom  entered  the  laboratory  before  ten  or 
eleven  in  the  morning,  and  rarely  left  it  later  than  four, 
and  he  was  scarcely  ever  known  to  visit  it  after  he  had 
dressed  for  dinner.  Except  when  preparing  a  lecture, 
he  seldom  dined  in  his  rooms  at  the  Institution : 
his  brother  tells  us  that  his  invitations  to  dinner  were 
so  numerous  that  he  was,  or  might  have  been,  constantly 
engaged ;  and  after  dinner  he  was  much  in  the  habit  of 
attending  evening  parties,  and  devoting  the  evening  to 
amusement,  "  so  that  to  the  mere  frequenters  of  such 
parties  he  must  have  appeared  a  votary  of  fashion  rather 
than  of  science." 

It  was  characteristic  of  him,  that  on  the  very  eve  of 
the  announcement  of  the  discovery  which  raised  him  to 
H  2 


11(]  Hl'MIMlUV    DAW, 

tlu>  suiimiit  of  his  scientific  fame,  ho  could  unbend 
the  stniiiL;-  how  and  thus  write  to  his  youngest  sister: — 

"My  DKAU  SisTEK I  looked  last  week  at  the  pattern  of 

the  gown  thut  my  sister  i)ut  into  my  hands,  and  found  it  so  worn 
and  tattered  that  nothing  can  be  made  of  it ;  I  cannot  therefore 
get  your  gowns  made  till  you  send  me  another.  The  best  way 
will  be  to  give  me  measure  of  the  waist,  shoulders,  length  itc., 
in  this  way,  and  there  can  then  be  no  difficulties:  thus  waist, 
I.")  inches,  or  whatever  it  may  be;  between  shoulders:  length 
from  waist  to  skirt  or  train. 

"I  do  not  wish  to  send  gowns  you  cannot  wear,  and  in  this 
way  they  can  be  well  made.  By  a  piece  of  tape  you  can  easily 
measure  and  then  try  the  length  by  a  carpenter's  rule,  and  give 
me  the  results  for  yourself,  and  for  Kitty,  and  Grace,  and  I  shall 
then  be  able  to  send  your  gowns  a  few  days  after  I  receive  your 
letter.     .     .     . 

''I  shall  write  to  my  mother  soon,  about  John.  And  now,  my 
dear  sister,  having  written  you  as  stupid  a  letter  as  ever  was 
written  about  gowns,  I  shall  end  with  love  to  my  mother.  Kitty, 
Grace,  and  my  aunts.  "Your  affectionate  brotlier 

"H.  Davy." 

The  Bakerian  lecture  in  which  Davy  announces  the 
discovery  of  the  compound  nature  of  the  fixed  alkalis 
opens  Avith  a  reference  to  the  concluding  remarks  of  his 
lecture  of  the  previous  year,  "  that  the  new  methods  ot 
investigation  promised  to  lead  to  a  more  intimate  know- 
ledge than  had  hitherto  been  obtained  concerning  the 
true  elements  of  bodies.  This  conjecture,  then  sanctioned 
only  by  strong  analogies,  I  am  no^v  happy  to  be  able  to 
support  by  some  conclusive  facts." 

In  the  first  attempts  he  made  to  decompose  the  fixed 
alkalis  he  acted  upon  concentrated  aqueous  solutions  of 
potash  and  soda  with  the  highest  electrical  power  he 
could  then  command  at  the  Royal  Institution — viz.  from 
voltaic  batteries  containing  24  plates  of  copper  and  zinc 
of    12  inches   square,  100  plates  of  G  inches,  and  150 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  117 

of  4  iiiclies,  charged  with  sohitions  of  ahiiii  and  nitric 
acid ;  but  although  there  was  high  intensity  of  action 
nothing  but  hydrogen  and  oxygen  was  disengaged.  He 
next  tried  potash  in  igneous  fusion,  and  here  the  results 
were  more  encouratjinof :  there  were  obvious  and  striking 
signs  of  decomposition ;  combustible  matter  was  pro- 
duced accompanied  with  flame  and  a  most  intense  light. 
He  had  observed  that  although  potash  when  dry  is  a  non- 
conductor, it  readily  conducts  when  it  becomes  damp  by 
exposure  to  air,  and  in  this  state  "  fuses  and  decomposes 
by  strong  electrical  powers." 

"  A  small  i)iece  of  pure  potash,  whicli  had  been  exposed  for  a 
few  seconds  to  the  atmosphere,  so  as  to  give  conducting  power  to 
the  surface  was  placed  upon  an  insulated  disc  of  i)latina,  con- 
nected with  the  negative  side  of  the  battery  of  the  power  of  250 
of  G  and  4,  in  a  state  of  intense  activity  ;  *  and  a  platina  wire 
communicating  with  the  positive  side  was  brought  in  contact  with 
the  upper  surface  of  the  alkali.     .     .     . 

"Under  these  circumstances  a  vivid  action  was  soon  observed 
to  take  place.  The  potash  began  to  fuse  at  both  its  points  of 
electrization.  Tliere  was  a  violent  effervescence  at  the  up^jer  sur- 
face ;  at  the  lower,  or  negative  surface,  there  was  no  liberation 
of  elastic  fluid ;  but  small  globules  having  a  high  metallic  lustre, 
and  being  precisely  similar  in  visible  characters  to  quicksilver 
appeared,  some  of  which  burnt  with  explosion  and  bright  flame,  as 
soon  as  they  were  formed,  and  others  remained,  and  were  merely 
tarnished,  and  finally  covered  by  a  white  film  which  formed  on 
their  surfaces." 

The    platina,    as   such,   was,   he   found,   in   no   way 
connected   with  the  result :    a  substance   of  the  same 

*  It  is  frequently  stated  that  Davy  was  enabled  to  isolate  the  metals  of 
the  alkalis  because  of  the  lari/i)  and  powerful  voltaic  battery  whicli  he  had 
at  his  disposal  in  the  Royal  Institution.  This  is  not  correct.  The  battery 
he  emploj'ed  was  of  very  moderate  dimensions,  and  not  by  any  means 
extraordinaiy  in  power.  It  was  the  success  he  thus  achieved  that  caused 
the  large  battery,  which  is  probably  refeired  to,  to  1)e  constructed,  by 
special  subscription,  in  1809. 


lis  HUMrilPvV    DAW, 

kind  was  produced  when  copper,  silver,  gold,  pluinbago, 
or  even  charcoal  wiis  ein})loyed  for  completing  the 
circuit. 

"S(h1;i  wlieii  actcnl  upon  in  tlie  same  manner  as  potash, 
exhiliited  an  analogous  result ;  but  the  decomposition  demanded 
greater  intensity  of  action  in  tlie  batteries,  or  the  alkali  was 
rerpured  to  be  in  nuich  thinner  and  smaller  pieces." 

"The  substance  produced  from  potash  remainetl  fluid  at  the 
temjjerature  of  the  atmospliere  at  the  time  of  its  production  ;  that 
from  soda,  which  was  fluid  in  the  degree  of  heat  of  the  alkali 
(hu-ing  its  formation,  liecame  solid  on  cooling,  and  appeared 
having  the  lustre  of  sdver." 

It  would  seem  from  his  description  of  its  properties 
that  the  potassium  he  obtained  was  most  probably 
alloyed  with  sodium  derived  from  impure  potash, 
rotassium  is  solid  up  to  148'  F. ;  but,  as  l^avy  subse- 
quently found,  an  alloy  of  potassium  and  sodium  is 
fluid  at  ordinary  temperatures. 

When  the  potassium  was  exposed  to  air  its  metallic 
lustre  was  immediately  destroyed,  and  it  Avas  ultimatel}^ 
wholly  reconverted  into  potash  by  absorption  of  oxygen 
and  moisture. 

With  the  substance  from  soda  the  appearance  and 
effects  w^ere  analogous. 

When  heated  in  oxygen  to  a  sufhciently  high 
temperature,  both  substances  burnt  with  a  brilliant 
white  flame. 

On  account  of  their  alterability  on  exposure  to  air, 
Davy  had  considerable  difficulty  in  preserving  and 
confining  them  so  as  to  examine  the  properties  of 
the  new  substances.  As  he  says,  like  the  alkahests 
imagined  b}-  the  alchemists,  the}'  acted  more  or 
less  upon  almost  every  body  to  which  they  were 
exposed. 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  119 

He  eventually  found  that  they  might  be  preserved  in 
naphtha. 

The  "  basis "  of  potash  at  50°  F.  was  a  soft  and 
malleable  solid  with  the  lustre  of  polished  silver. 

"At  about  the  freezing  point  of  water  it  becomes  harder  and 
brittle,  and  when  broken  in  fragments,  exhibits  a  crystallized 
texture,  which  in  the  microscope  seems  composed  of  beautiful 
facets  of  a  perfect  whiteness  and  high  metallic  splendour." 

It  may  be  converted  into  vapour  at  a  temperature 
approaching  a  red-heat,  and  may  be  distilled  unchanged ; 
it  is  a  perfect  conductor  of  electricity  and  an  excellent 
conductor  of  heat.  Its  most  marked  difference  from 
the  common  run  of  metals  was  its  extraordinarily  low 
specific  gravity.  Davy  endeavoured  to  gain  an  approxi- 
mation to  its  relative  weight  by  comparing  the  weight  of 
a  globule  with  that  of  an  equal-sized  globule  of  mercury. 

"  Taking  the  mean  of  4  experiments,  conducted  with  great 
care,  its  specific  gravity  at  62°  Fahrenheit,  is  to  that  of  mercury 
as  10  to  223,  which  gives  a  proportion  to  that  of  water  nearly  as 
6  to  10  ;  so  that  it  is  the  lightest  fluid  body  known.  In  its  solid 
form  it  is  a  little  heavier." 

Although  no  great  stress  can  be  laid  on  numbers  so 
obtained,  they  serve  to  indicate  that  Davy  had  not  yet 
obtained  the  pure  metal.  The  real  ratio  of  the  specific 
gravities  of  potassium  and  mercury  is  as  10  to  154. 

An  account  is  then  given  of  the  behaviour  of 
potassium  towards  oxygen,  oxymuriatic  acid  gas 
[chlorine],  hydrogen,  water,  alcohol,  ether,  the  various 
mineral  acids,  phosphorus^  sulphur,  mercury,  a  number 
of  metallic  oxides,  and  the  various  forms  of  glass. 

The  "basis"  of  soda  is  described  as  a  white  opaque 
substance  of  the  lustre  and  general  appearance  of  silver. 
It  is  soft  and  malleable,  and  is  a  good  conductor  of 
heat  and  electricity.     Its  specific  gravity  was  found  b}^ 


]■!()  HUMI'IIKV    DAVY, 

flotation  in  a  niixtuiv  of  oi!  of  sassafras  an*!  naplitha  to 
111'  ()});US  (the  true  specific  gravity  of  sodiinn  is  0974). 
It  was  foiinil  to  fuse  at  about  180°  F.  (tlic  n^al  melting- 
point  of  sodium  is  197'5'').  Its  action  on  a  number  of 
substances — oxygen,  hydrogen,  water,  etc. — is  then  de- 
scribed, and  its  general  behaviovu'  contrasted  with  that 
of  the  "  basis  "  of  potash. 

Davy  then  attempted,  by  S3^nthetical  experiments,  to 
determine  the  amount  of  the  "  metalHc  bases  "  in  potash 
and  soda  respectively,  and,  considering  the  extremely 
small  (juantities  he  had  to  operate  upon,  the  results  are 
fairly  accurate. 

He  then  enters  upon  some  general  observations  on  the 
relations  of  the  "  bases"  of  potash  and  soda  to  other  bodies. 

"  Should  the  bases  of  potash  and  soda  be  called  metals  1  The 
greater  iminl)er  of  i»hiloso]»hical  persons  to  whom  this  question 
has  been  put,  have  answered  in  the  affirmative.  They  agree  with 
metals  in  opacity,  lustre,  malleability,  conducting  powers  as  to 
heat  and  electricity,  and  in  their  qualities  of  chemical  com- 
bination. 

"Their  low  specific  gravity  does  not  appear  a  sufficient  reason 
for  making  them  a  new  class  ;  for  amongst  the  metals  themselves 
there  are  remarkable  differences  in  this  respect,  .  .  .  and  in 
the  philosophical  division  of  the  classes  of  bodies,  the  analogy 
lietween  the  greater  numl)er  of  properties  must  always  be  the 
foundation  of  arrangement. 

"Ou  this  idea,  in  naming  the  bases  of  potash  and  soda,  it  will 
be  proper  to  adojit  the  termination  which,  by  common  consent, 
has  been  applied  to  other  newly  discovered  metals,  and  which, 
though  originally  Latin,  is  now  naturalized  in  our  language. 

"  Potasium  [sir]  and  sodium  are  the  names  by  which  T  have 
ventured  to  call  the  new  substances  ;  and  whatever  changes  of 
tljeory,  with  regard  to  the  composition  of  bodies,  may  hereafter 
take  place,  these  terms  can  scarcely  express  an  error  ;  for  they 
may  be  considered  as  implying  sim]i]y  the  metals  produced  from 
potash  and  soda.  I  have  consulted  with  many  of  the  most 
eminent  scientific  persons  in  this  country,  upon  the  methods  of 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  121 

derivation,  and  the  one  I  have  adopted  has  been  the  one  most 
generally  approved.  It  is  perhajis  more  significant  than  elegant. 
But  it  was  not  possible  to  found  names  upon  specific  properties 
not  common  to  both  ;  and  though  a  name  for  the  basis  of  soda 
might  have  been  borrowed  from  the  Greek,  yet  an  analogous  one 
could  not  have  been  applied  to  that  of  potash,  for  the  ancients  do 
not  seem  to  have  distinguished  between  the  two  alkalies." 

He  thinks  there  is  the  greater  necessity  for  avoiding 
any  theoretical  views  in  terms  because  the  time  is  yet 
far  distant  for  a  complete  generalisation  of  chemical 
facts,  and  although  the  antiphlogistic  explanation  of  the 
phenomena  has  been  uniformly  adopted,  the  motive  for 
employing  it  has  been  rather  a  sense  of  its  beauty  and 
precision  than  a  conviction  of  its  permanency  and  truth. 

"The  discovery  of  the  agencies  of  the  gases  destroyed  the 
hypothesis  of  Stahl.  The  knowledge  of  the  powers  and  effects  of 
the  etherial  substances  may  at  a  future  time  possibly  act  a  similar 
part  with  regard  to  the  more  refined  and  ingenious  hypothesis  of 
Lavoisier  ;  Init  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge,  it  appears 
the  best  approximation  that  has  been  made  to  a  perfect  logic  of 
chemistry." 

Led  by  analogy,  Davy  soon  convinced  himself  that 
the  volatile  alkali — ammonia — also  contained  oxygen, 
and  in  amount  not  less  than  7  or  8  per  cent.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  go  into  detail  concerning  the  experiments 
on  which  this  erroneous  conclusion  was  founded.  Davy 
was  sul  sequently  made  aware  of  his  error  ;  but  at  the 
time  he  seemed  anxious  to  overturn — as,  indeed,  he  did  in 
the  end,  but  on  other  grounds — the  Lavoisierian  doctrine 
that  oxygen  was  the  principle  of  acidity,  by  showing  that 
it  was  equally  the  principle  of  alkalescence. 

In  concluding  his  paper,  he  mentions  that  he  has 
begun  experiments  on  the  alkaline  earths. 

"From  analogy  alone  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  the 
alkaline  earths  are  compounds  of  a  similar  nature  to  the  fixed 


122  HUMIMIin'    DWV, 

alkalies,  peculiar  highly  combustible  metallic  bases  united  to 
oxygen.  1  have  tried  some  experiments  upon  barytes  and 
strontites,  and  they  go  far  towards  proving  that  this  must  be 
the  case." 

"  r>arytes  and  strontites  liave  the  strongest  relations  to  the 
fixed  alkalies  of  any  of  the  earthy  bodies  ;  but  there  is  a  chain  of 
rosemlilances  tliroiigh  lime,  magnesia,  glucina,  alumina,  and  silex. 
And  by  the  agencies  of  batteries  sutliciently  strong,  and  by  the 
ajiplication  of  proper  circumstances,  there  is  no  small  reason  to 
hope  that  even  these  refractory  bodies  will  yield  their  elements 
to  the  methods  of  analysis  by  electrical  attraction  and  repulsion." 

Although  certain  of  the  conjectures  with  which  the 
paper  terminates  liave  heen  proved  to  be  erroneous, 
others  have  been  shoAvn  to  be  sound.  Thus  he  points 
out  that  the  metals  of  the  alkalis  will  undoubtedly  prove 
powerful  agents  for  analysis  : 

"  Having  an  affinity  for  oxygen  stronger  than  any  other  known 
substances  they  may  possiI)ly  supersede  the  api)lication  of 
electricity  to  some  of  the  undecompounded  bodies." 

Such  is  a  brief  summary  of  the  contents  of  one  of 
the  most  classical  papers  in  the  Pldlompldcal  Transac- 
tion^. Its  publication  created  an  extraordinary  sensa- 
tion, not  less  profound,  and  certainly  more  general  from 
the  very  nature  of  the  subject,  than  that  which  followed 
his  first  Bakerian  lecture.  That  potash  and  soda  should 
contain  metals — and  such  metals! — was  undreamt  of, 
and  was  a  shock  to  the  settled  convictions  of  persons 
who,  like  the  Aberdonian  professor,  declared  that 
this  "  ane  Davy  Avas  a  vera  troublesome  person  in 
chemistry." 

But  this  "  troublesome  person  "  had  well  nigh  ceased 
from  troubling  any  more.  Almost  immediately  after 
the  delivery  of  his  lecture  he  collapsed — struck  down  by 
an  illness  which  nearly  proved  fatal,  and  for  weeks  his 
life  hung  on  a  thread.      He  had  been  in  a  low  feverish 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  123 

condition  for  some  time  previously,  and  a  great  dread 
had  fallen  upon  him  that  he  should  die  before  he  had 
completed  his  discoveries.  It  Avas  in  this  condition  of 
body  and  mind  that  he  applied  himself  to  the  task  of 
putting  together  an  account  of  his  results.  Four  days 
after  this  was  given  to  the  world  he  took  to  his  bed, 
and  he  remained  there  for  nine  weeks.  Such  a  blow 
following  hard  on  such  a  triumph,  aroused  the  hveliest 
sympathy.  The  doors  of  the  Royal  Institution  were 
beset  by  anxious  inquirers.  His  physicians,  Babington, 
Frank,  and  Baillie,  tended  him  with  the  greatest 
assiduity.  Mrs.  Greenwood,  the  housekeeper,  and  his 
cousin,  Edmund  Davy,  nursed  him  night  and  day.  So 
great  was  the  popular  feeling  that,  when  he  was  at  the 
worst,  written  reports  of  his  condition  at  various  periods 
of  the  day  had  to  be  posted  in  the  hall.  The  strength 
of  the  feeling  may  be  gleaned,  too,  from  the  sentences 
with  which  I)r.  Dibdin  began  his  lecture  introductory  to 
the  session  of  1808  : — 

"The  Managers  of  this  Institution  have  requested  me  to 
impart  to  you  that  intelligence,  Avhich  no  one  who  is  alive  to  the 
best  feelings  of  human  nature  can  hear  without  the  mixed  emo- 
tions of  sorrow  and  delight. 

"  Mr.  Davy,  whose  frequent  and  powerful  addresses  from  this 
place,  supported  by  his  ingenious  experiments,  have  been  so  long 
and  so  well  known  to  you,  has  for  the  last  five  weeks  been  struggling 
between  life  and  death.  The  effects  of  these  experiments  re- 
cently made  in  illustration  of  his  late  splendid  discovery,  added 
to  consequent  bodily  weakness,  brought  on  a  fever  so  violent  as  to 
threaten  the  extinction  of  life.  Over  him  it  might  emphatically 
be  said  in  the  language  of  our  immortal  Milton,  that 

'.    .    .     .    Death  his  dart 
Shook,  but  delayed  to  strike.' 

"  If  it  had  pleased  Providence  to  deprive  the  world  of  all 
further  benefit  from  his  original  talents  and  intense  application 


}'2\-  IIUMFIIHY    DAW, 

tlicre  lias  certain!}'  Ixcn  sufficient  already  effected  l>y  liiiii  to 
entitle  liiiu  to  lie  classed  among  the  lirightest  scientitic  lumin- 
aries of  his  country." 

After  havinfj  given  an  outline  of  Davy's  investigations 
"  at  the  particular  request  of  the  Managers,"  Dr.  Dibdin 
proceeds : — 

"These  may  justly  be  placed  amongst  the  most  brilliiint  and 
valuable  discoveries  which  have  ever  been  made  in  chemistry,  for 
a  great  chasm  in  the  chemical  system  has  1)een  filled  uj) ;  a  blaze 
of  light  ha.s  been  diffused  over  that  part  which  before  was  utterly 
dark  ;  and  new  views  have  been  opened,  so  numerous  and  in- 
teresting, that  the  more  any  man  who  is  versed  in  cliemistry 
reflects  on  them,  the  more  he  finds  to  admire  and  to  heighten  his 
expectation  of  future  important  results. 

"  Mr.  Davy's  name,  in  consequence  of  these  discoveries,  will 
be  always  recorded  in  the  annals  of  science  amongst  those  of  the 
most  illustrious  philosophers  of  his  time.  His  country  with 
reason  will  be  proud  of  him,  and  it  is  no  small  honour  to  the 
Ivoyal  Institution  that  these  great  discoveries  have  ])een  made 
within  its  walls;  in  that  laboratory,  and  l)y  those  instruments, 
which  from  the  zeal  of  promoting  useful  knowledge  have,  with  so 
much  propriety,  been  placed  at  the  disposal  and  for  the  use  of  its 
most  excellent  professor  of  chemistry." 

Dr.  Dibdin  then  informs  his  auditors  that  Davy's 
illness,  severe  as  it  had  been,  Avas  now  beginning  to 
abate,  and  that  it  ma}'  be  reasonably  hoped  that  the 
period  of  convalescence  Avas  not  ver}'  remote. 

His  bodily  Aveakness,  hoAvever,  continued  for  some 
time,  and  it  Avas  not  until  the  middle  of  March  that  he 
Avas  able  to  resume  his  duties  as  lecturer.  His  mind, 
as  his  note-books  shoAv,  much  more  quickly  recovered 
"its  Avonted  vigour.  Perhaps  it  Avas  in  that  condition  of 
'melancholy  and  debility  produced  by  sickness,  Avhich  he 
regarded  as  favourable  to  intellectual  exertion,  Avhen,  as 
he  says,  "  the  mind  necessarily  becomes  contemplative 
Avhen  the  body  is  no  longer  active,  and  the  empire  of 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  125 

sensation  yields  to  that  of  imagination/'  that  he  finishedj^ 
the  poem  beginning  : — 

"  Lo  !  o'er  the  earth  the  kindling  spirits  pour 

The  flames  of  life  that  bounteous  Nature  gives  ; 
The  limpid  dew  becomes  the  rosy  flower, 

The  insensate  dust  awakes,  and  moves,  and  lives." 

It  is  too  long  to  give  here,  but  of  all  his  poetical  effu- 
sions it  is  perhaps  the  best,  as  it  certainly  is  the  most 
highly-polished. 

One  proof  of  what  Davy  was  to  the  Royal  Institution 
is  seen  in  the  position  to  which  it  was  reduced  in  con- 
sequence of  his  protracted  illness.  In  the  early  part  of 
the  previous  December  the  Managers  made  the  following 
announcement : — 

"Mr.  Davy,  having  been  confined  to  his  bed  this  last  fortnight 
by  a  severe  illness,  the  ^Managers  are  under  the  painful  necessity 
of  giving  notice  that  the  lectures  will  not  commence  until  the 
first  week  of  January  next." 

By  the  interruption  of  the  lectures  the  income  of 
the  Institution  was  greatly  diminished;  it  fell  from  £4,141 
in  the  preceding  year  to  £1,560.  This  was  the  low- 
water  mark  of  its  financial  state.  How  acute  was  the 
condition  may  be  seen  from  the  report  of  the  Visitors  in 
1S08. 

Davy,  although  better,  was  still  in  bed,  confined 
there  by  the  want  of  a  sofa  in  bis  room.  This  was  not 
provided  by  the  Managers  until  January  25th,  when,  as  the 
minutes  tell  us,  they  furnished  him  with  one  at  a  cost  of 
three  guineas.  One  would  have  thought  he  might  have 
had  Albemarle  Street  blocked  with  sofas  if  some  of  those 
lady-friends  who  sent  him  sonnets,  and  intrigued  for  his 
company  at  their  salons,  had  only  known  of  his  condition. 

"The  laboratory  journals  show  that  on  April  19th 
he  was  able   to   resume  his  experiments,  and  that  he 


126  HUMrilKV    DAVY, 

proceeded  to  iittack  the  composition  of  muriatic  [hydro- 
chloric] iicid.  The  note  runs,  "  Indications  of  the  de- 
composition of  nuu'iatic  acid.  To  use  every  cftbrt  to 
ensure  accuracy  in  the  results."  He  seems  to  have 
decomposed  nnu'iatic  acid  gas  by  means  of  charcoal 
terminals,  and  also  to  have  acted  on  a  mixture  of  dry 
calcium  chloride  and  mercury. 

On  June  80th  he  contributed  a  paper  to  the  Royal 
Society  on  "  Electro-Chemical  Researches  on  the  De- 
composition of  the  Earths ;  with  Observations  on  the 
Metals  obtained  from  the  alkaline  Earths,  and  on  the 
Amalgam  procured  from  Ammonia." 

That  the  earths  would  tvu'n  out  to  be  related  to  the 
metals  was  surmised  by  Becher  and  Stahl.  Boyle 
considered  it  possible  that  metals  might  be  produced 
from  them,  and  Neumann  described  unsuccessful  ex- 
periments to  obtain  a  metal  from  quicklime.  Bergman 
imagined  that  baryta  was  a  metallic  calx,  and  Baron 
that  alumina  contained  a  metal.  The  supposition  that 
the  calces  were  all  compounds  of  metals  was,  of  course,  a 
part  of  the  antiphlogistic  doctrine ;  but  Lavoisier  never 
hazarded  any  conjecture  as  to  the  nature  of  potash  and 
soda.  It  went  almost  Avithout  saying  therefore  that 
when  Davy  had  demonstrated  the  real  character  of  the 
fixed  alkalis,  the  alkaline  earths  would  be  found  to  have 
an  analogous  constitution. 

The  attempts  made  by  Davy  to  decompose  the 
alkaline  earths  by  methods  similar  to  those  adopted  in 
the  case  of  potash  or  soda  were  not  very  successful,  and 
it  was  onlv  when  he  had  received  intimation  from 
Berzelius  that  they  might  be  procured  in  the  form  of 
amalgams  by  operating  in  contact  with  mercury  that 
he  obtained  any  decisive  results.  In  no  case,  however, 
was  he  able  to  prepare  a  pure  metal,  and  his  description 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  127 

of  the  physical  properties  of  the  substances  he  actually 
procured  is  exceedingly  meagre.  He  seems  to  have 
been  satisfied  for  the  moment  in  deraonstratinsf  that — 

"The  evidence  for  the  composition  of  the  alkaline  earths  is 
of  the  same  kind  as  that  for  the  composition  of  the  common 
metallic  oxides ;  and  the  principles  of  their  decomposition  are 
precisely  similar,  the  inflammable  matters  in  all  cases  separating 
at  the  negative  surface  in  the  voltaic  circuit,  and  the  oxygen  at 
the  positive  surface." 

"  These  new  substances  vpill  demand  names  ;  and  on  the  same 
principles  as  I  have  named  the  Ijases  of  the  fixed  alkalies,  potassium 
and  sodium,  I  shall  venture  to  denominate  the  metals  from  the 
alkaline  earths  Ijarium,  strontium,  calcium  and  magnium ;  the 
last  of  these  words  is  undouljtedly  objectionable  but  magnesium 
has  been  already  applied  to  metallic  manganese  [by  Bergman] 
and  would  consequently  have  been  an  equivocal  term." 

However,  as  he  states  in  his  "  Elements  of  Chemical 
Philosophy,"  "  the  candid  criticisms  of  some  philosophical 
friends  "  induced  him  to  subsequently  change  the  name 
to  magnesium. 

He  next  made  "  Inquiries  Relative  to  the  Decom- 
position of  Alumine,  Silex,  Zircone,  and  Glucine,"  but 
although  he  made  a  large  number  of  trials,  the  results 
were  equivocal. 

"Had  I  been  so  fortunate,"  he  says,  "as  to  have  obtained 
more  certain  evidences  on  this  subject,  and  to  have  procured 
the  metallic  substances  I  was  in  search  of,  I  should  have  pro- 
posed for  them  the  names  of  silicium,  alumium,  zirconium, 
and  glucium." 

One  of  the  most  interesting  sections  of  the  paper 
relates  to  the  production  of  a  so-called  amalgam  from 
ammonia,  first  obtained  by  Berzelius  and  Pontin.  This 
curious  substance  has  been  the  subject  of  much  investi- 
gation, and  little  doubt  is  now  entertained  that  it  is 
merely  a  mercurial  froth,  as  first  stated  by  Daniell — that 


12S  HLTMl'JIUV    DAW, 

is,  mercury  distended  by  aminonia  and  hydrogen  gases. 
Davy,  however,  saw  in  it  the  proof  of  the  presence  of 
oxygen  in  ammonia,  and  of  the  existence  of  what  he 
called  "  the  compound  basis  "  of  annnonia.     He  says : — 

"The  more  tlic  itroperties  of  the  amalgam  obtained  from 
ammonia  are  considered  the  more  extraordinary  do  they  appear. 
Mercury  hy  coml)ination  with  about  y^jjiTo  P'^rt  of  its  weight  of 
new  matter  is  rendered  a  solid,  yet  has  its  specific  gravity  di- 
minished from  13".')  to  3,  and  it  retains  all  its  metallic  characters  ; 
its  colour,  lustre,  ojjacity,  and  conducting  powers  remaining  un- 
impaired. It  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  that  a  substance 
which  forms  with  mercury  so  perfect  an  amalgam,  should  not  be 
metallic  in  its  own  nature;  and  on  this  idea  to  assist  the  dis- 
cussion concerning  it,  it  may  be  conveniently  termed  ammonium." 

Davy's  term  "  ammonium  "  is  still  retained  in  chemical 
nomenclature,  but  there  is  at  present  no  evidence  for 
the  independent  existence  of  such  an  entity  ;  the  so-called 
ammonium  amalgam  is  certainly  no  proof. 

On  December  15th,  1808,  he  delivered  his  third 
Bakerian  lecture.  It  was  entitled  "  An  Account  of  some 
new  analytical  Researches  on  the  Nature  of  certain 
Bodies,  particularly  the  Alkalies,  Phosphorus,  Sulphur, 
Carbonaceous  Matter,  and  the  Acids  hitherto  undecom- 
pounded,  Avith  some  general  Observations  on  Chemical 
Theory."  Although  this  is  one  of  the  longest  and 
most  laboured  of  Davy's  papers,  it  is,  perhaps,  one 
of  the  least  satisfactory.  It  is  a  record  of  many  ex- 
periments with  few  definite  results.  Few  as  these 
were,  they  yet  paved  the  way  for  consequences  of  the 
greatest  importance.  Gay  Lussac  and  Thenard,  on 
the  publication  of  Davj^'s  second  Bakerian  lecture, 
succeeded  in  devising  a  method  by  which  larger 
quantities  of  potassium  might  be  obtained  than  by  the 
electrolytic   process.      It    consisted   in   passing   molten 


I'OET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  129 

potash  over  heated  inetalHc  iron  and  condensing  the 
volatiHsed  potassium  in  naphtha.  On  heating  potassium 
in  ammonia,  they  found  that  hydrogen  was  obtained 
together  with  potash,  whence  they  concluded  that 
potassium  was  a  liydriird  of  pofa.'^h.  This  experiment 
was  repeated  by  Davy ;  he  observed  the  formation  of  a 
substance  since  known  as  potassam.ide,  and  completely 
disproved  the  conjecture  of  the  French  chemists.  His 
experiments  on  sulphur,  phosphorus,  and  the  various 
forms  of  carbon  were,  however,  wholly  fallacious,  and  his 
conclusions  as  to  the  non-elementar}^  nature  of  these 
substances  were  erroneous,  and  Avere  subsequently 
corrected  by  him.  His  work  on  the  decomposition  of 
boracic  acid  is,  however,  accurate,  and  he  has  every 
right  to  be  considered  as  an  independent  discoverer, 
with  Thenard,  of  the  element  subsequently  called  by 
him  boron.  At  first  Davy  was  inclined  "  to  consider 
the  boracic  basis  as  metallic  in  its  nature,"  and  to 
propose  for  it  the  name  of  horaciwni.  His  experiments 
with  "  fluoric  acid  "  were  vitiated  by  the  circumstance 
that  he  worked  with  a  mixture  of  hydrofluoric  acid  and 
silicon  fluoride.  Unwittingly  he  obtained  small  quan- 
tities of  silicon,  although  he  failed  to  recognise  the 
individuality  of  this  substance.  Nor  were  the  experi- 
ments with  muriatic  acid  inore  decisive.  Incidentally 
he  obtained  the  two  chlorides  of  phosphorus,  but  for  a 
time  their  true  nature  escaped  him,  although  he  gives 
a  fairly  accurate  description  of  their  main  properties. 

The  paper,  although  containing  an  account  of  much 
experimental  work,  Avas  evidently  put  together  in  haste ; 
it  Avould  have  been  better  for  his  reputation  had  he 
delayed  its  publication.  He  seems  to  haA^e  been  con- 
scious of  its  imperfections,  and  to  have  sought  to 
strengthen  his  conclusions  by  neAv  experiments  Avhich 
I 


180  II  I'M  I'll  i:v   DAW, 

he  gives  in  an  iippeudix.  These,  so  far  from  substan- 
tiating his  views,  increased  his  doubts,  and  it  is  remark- 
able how  he  misinterpreted  the  phenomena  he  observed. 
Thus  in  one  series  of  experiments  lie  obtained  con- 
V  siderable  quantities  of  tlic  "  alcohol  of  sulphur  of 
Lampadius,"  and  attempted  to  ascertain  its  nature,  but 
his  preconceptions  as  to  the  non-elementary  nature  of 
carbon  and  sulphur  prevented  him  from  recognising  that 
it  is  a  sulphide  of  carbon. 

One  explanation  of  this  untoward  haste  is  to  bo 
found  in  the  position  in  which  Davy  was  placed.  He 
simply  hungered  for  scientific  fame,  and  his  appetite 
\  grew  by  what  it  fed  on.  There  was  at  the  time  the 
'  most  intense  spirit  of  rivalry  between  the  English  and 
French  chemists — it  was  a  phase  of  the  national  feeling 
which  actuated  the  two  peoples — and,  in  spite  of  his 
phrases,  Davy  keenly  felt  what  he  considered  an  intrusion 
into  his  own  field  of  work.  His  illness  had  thrown  him 
back,  and  the  French  chemists  had  stolen  a  march  on 
him  in  the  meantime.  Moreover,  he  had  Berzelius  on 
his  flank.  All  these  circumstances,  whilst  they  impelled 
him  to  activity,  were  unfavourable  in  a  man  of  Davy's 
temperament  to  the  incubatory  period,  "  the  wambling 
in  the  wame  "  process,  which  is  often  needed  before  the 
true  aspect  and  meaning  of  things  are  perceived  ;  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that  the  fear  of  being  anticipated  urged 
him  to  the  expression  of  hypotheses  and  surmises  which 
at  a  later  and  calmer  period  he  regretted  and  renounced. 

But  such  was  his  position  in  England  at  this  period, 
that  a  Bakerian  lecture  seemed  to  be  expected  from  him 
at  each  succeeding  session  of  the  Royal  Society  as  a 
matter  of  course,  and  he  was  always  ready  to  respond 
to  the  expectation,  even  if  he  did  not  invariably  satisfy  it. 

On  November  16th,  1809,  he  read  his  fourth  Bakerian 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  131 

lecture.  It  was  "  On  some  new  Electrochemical  Re- 
searches on  various  Objects,  particularly  the  metallic 
Bodies,  from  the  Alkalies  and  Earths,  and  on  some 
Combinations  of  Hydrogene."  He  begins  by  again 
drawinsf  attention  to  the  various  surmises  which  had 
been  made  respecting  the  true  nature  of  potassium 
and  sodium.  Although  these  substances  had  been 
isolated,  and  in  the  hands  of  chemists  for  upwards  of 
two  years,  their  properties  were  so  extraordinary  when 
compared  with  those  of  the  metals  in  general,  that 
many  philosophers  hesitated  to  consider  them  as  true 
metals.  Gay  Lussac  and  Thenard,  as  already  men- 
tioned, regarded  them  as  compounds  of  potash  or  soda 
with  hydrogen ;  Curaudau  as  combinations  of  carbon 
or  carbon  and  hydrogen  with  the  alkalis ;  Avhilst  an 
ingenious  inquirer  in  this  country  communicated  to 
Nicholson's  Journal  his  belief  that  they  Avere  really 
composed  of  oxygen  and  hydrogen  !  Davy,  in  the  light 
of  the  fuller  knowledge  he  obtained  from  Gay  Lussac 
and  Thenard's  paper  in  the  "Mem.  d'Arcueil"— a  copy  of 
which  he  owed  to  Berthollet — had  no  ditiiculty  in  again 
proving  "that  by  the  operation  of  potassium  upon  am- 
monia, it  is  not  a  metallic  body  that  is  decompounded, 
but  the  volatile  alkali,  and  that  the  hydrogen  produced 
does  not  arise  from  the  potassium,  as  is  asserted  by  the 
French  chemists,  but  from  the  ainmonia." 

M.  Curaudau's  hypothesis  is  shown  to  be  based  upon 
the  accidental  association  of  naphtha  with  the  metals  he 
employed.  In  repeating  some  experiments  of  Ritter's, 
designed  to  show  that  potassium  contained  hydrogen, 
Davy  was  led  to  the  discovery  of  telluretted  hydrogen, 
the  properties  of  which  he  describes  in  some  detail. 
Tellurium  at  that  time  was  regarded  as  a  metal,  but 
Davy  points  out  its  strong  analogies  to  sulphur,  with 
I  2 


]:V2  HUMIMIKV     IVWV, 

which  clomout,  iiulced,  il  is  now  chisscd.  Incidentally 
ho  throws  light  upon  the  nature  of  the  intolerably  fetid 
product  known  as  "  the  fuming  liquor  of  Cadet."  obtained 
by  distilling  acetate  of  potash  with  arsenious  oxide.  On 
aci'ount  of  its  e.\troine  inflannnability,  it  was  thought  by 
Davy  that  this  liquid  might  possibly  be  a  pyrophorus  or 
volatile  alloy  of  potassium  and  arsenic. 

"  From  a  repetition  of  the  process  I  find  that  though  potash  is 
(leoonipounded  in  this  operation  yet  that  the  volatile  su])stance' 
is  not  an  alloy  of  potassium  but  contains  charcoal  and  arsenic 
l>robably  with  hydrogen.  The  gases  not  a))Sorbable  by  water 
given  off  in  this  operation  are  peculiar.  Their  smell  is  intensely 
fetid.  They  are  inllammable,  and  seem  to  contain  charcoal, 
arsenic  and  hydrogen  :  whether  they  are  mixtures  of  various 
gases,  or  a  single  comi)Ound,  I  am  not  at  pre.sent  able  to  decide." 

So  far  as  it  goes,  this  description  of  the  nature  of  the 
substance  is  correct ;  it  was  Bunsen,  in  1887,  who  first 
demonstrated  the  real  character  of  "  the  fuming  liquor  of 
Cadet." 

The  paper  is  noteworthy  for  the  clear  distinction 
which  is  drawn  for  the  first  time  between  potash  hydrate 
(potassium  hydroxide  of  modern  nomenclature)  and 
potassium  oxide,  the  product  formed  by  heating  the 
metal  in  ordinary  oxygen. 

There  is  much  in  the  rest  of  the  paper  that  is 
ingenious  and  suggestive,  and  not  a  few  isolated  facts 
that  seem  to  have  been  lost  sight  of,  or  rediscovered 
by  subsequent  observers,  such,  for  example,  as  the 
action  of  potassium  upon  metallic  iron — an  action  which 
has  vitiated  the  attempts  to  determine  the  vapour  den- 
sity of  that  metal  in  iron  vessels.  It  is  curious  to  note 
^vith  what  persistency  Davy  clings  to  the  belief  that 
nitrogen  will  turn  out  to  be  a  compound  substance, 
and  with  what  pertinacity  he  importunes  it  to  give  up 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  133 

its  components.  At  times  he  thinks  he  is  on  the  verge 
of  proof,  "  I  hope  on  Thursday,"  he  wrote  to  his  friend 
Children,  "  to  show  you  nitrogen  as  a  complete  wreck, 
torn  to  pieces  in  different  ways."  But  still  nitrogen,  with 
that  passive  immutability  which  is  characteristic  of  it, 
in  spite  of  every  form  of  torture,  remained  whole  and 
indissoluble.  On  this  point  he  wrote  in  the  Laboratory 
Journal  under  date  February  15th: — "Were  a  descrip- 
tion, indeed,  to  be  given  of  all  the  experiments  I  have 
made,  of  all  the  difficulties  I  have  encountered,  of  the 
doubts  that  have  occurred,  and  the  hypotheses  formed 

."     But  the  sentence  was  not  finished.     The  attack 

was  renewed  and  continued  throughout  the  whole  of 
the  spring  and  summer,  until,  fairly  baffled,  Davy  con- 
fessed himself  beaten,  and  turned  his  attention  to  other 
matters.  The  condition  of  his  laboratory  at  this  time 
may  be  gleaned  from  the  following  note  in  the  Journal : — 

"Objects  much  wanted  in  the  laboratory  of  the  Royal  Institu- 
tion :  cleanliness,  neatness  and  regularity. 

"  The  laboratory  niu.st  be  cleaned  every  morning  when  opera- 
tions are  going  on  before  ten  o'clock. 

"  It  is  the  business  of  W.  Payne  to  do  this,  and  it  is  the  duty 
of  Mr.  E.  Davy  to  see  that  it  is  done  and  to  take  care  of  and  kee]) 
in  order  the  apparatus. 

"There  must  be  in  the  laboratory  pen,  ink,  paper,  and  wafers, 
and  these  must  not  be  kei)t  in  the  slovenly  manner  in  which 
they  are  usually  kept.  I  am  now  writing  with  a  i)en  and  ink 
such  as  was  never  used  in  any  other  place." 

Then  follows  a  list  of  articles  wanting,  "  including 
most  of  the  common  metallic  and  saline  solutions." 

"The  laboratory  is  constantly  in  a  state  of  dirt  and  confusion. 

"  There  must  be  a  roller  with  a  coarse  towel  for  washing  the 
hands  and  a  basin  of  water  and  soap,  and  eveiy  week  at  least  a 
whole  morning  must  be  devoted  to  the  inspection  and  ordering  of 
the  voltaic  battery." 


134  HUMl'RRY    DAVY, 

It  would  1)0  interesting  t.)  know  the  comments  of 
the  persons  named  in  tliis  note  as  to  the  cause  of  the 
dirt  and  confusion  which  reigned  in  the  laboratory, 
Davy  was  perfectly  reckless  with  apparatus  ;  with  him 
to  think  was  to  act,  and  he  frequently  had  half  a  dozen 
experiments  going  on  simultaneously,  upon  disconnected 
parts  of  the  same  inquiry.  Anyone  who  has  had  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  his  laboratory  notes,  or  of  glancing 
over  the  rough  drafts  of  his  memoirs,  which  have  been 
preserved  by  the  pious  care  of  Faraday,  will  appreciate 
the  signiticance  of  the  remarks  upon  his  writing  materials. 
His  usual  method  of  erasure  was  by  dipping  his  finger 
in  the  ink-pot ;  and,  if  wc  may  be  pardoned  the  use  of 
the  colloquialism,  he  was  simply  "  Death  on  pens '  " 


CHAPTER    VII. 

CULORINE. 

The  rivalry  between  the  French  and  English  chemists 
continued,  but  it  took  a  neAv  departure.  Gay  Lussac 
and  Thenard  had  stolen  a  march  on  Davy  by  their 
discovery  of  a  chemical  method  of  making  the  metals 
of  the  alkalis,  whereby  they  were  able  to  use  these 
metals  as  chemical  reagents  to  greater  advantage ;  but 
the  tables  were  quickly  turned.  On  July  12th,  1810, 
Davy  read  to  the  Royal  Society  his  memurable  paper 
"  On  the  oxymuriatic  Acid,  its  Nature  and  Combina- 
tions ;  and  on  the  Elements  of  the  muriatic  Acid ;  with 
some  Experiments  on  Sulphur  and  Phosphorus,  made  in 
the  Laboratory  of  the  Royal  Institution."  This  paper, 
in  which  he  first  demonstrates  the  nature  of  chlorine, 
is  very  short^only  some  tw-enty-six  quarto  pages— but 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  135 

it  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  most  brilliant,  as  it  is 
one  of  the  most  forcible  of  his  productions. 

Davy  is  here  seen  at  his  best.  He  is  bold  and  yet 
wary,  and  as  dexterous  as  trenchant;  so  confident  is 
he  in  the  strength  of  his  position  that  he  casts  aside 
every  argiunent  that  might  tell  in  his  favour,  unless  it 
is  based  on  the  most  unimpeachable  evidence.  It  is 
difficult  to  know  what  to  admire  most — the  clearness 
of  perception,  the  precision  of  the  statement,  the  strict- 
ness of  the  logic,  the  aptness  of  the  illustration,  or  the 
argumentative  skill  with  which  the  whole  is  marshalled 
and  presented.  As  a  piece  of  induction,  the  memoir  is  a 
model  of  its  kind,  and  as  an  exercise  in  "  the  scientific 
use  of  the  imagination  "  it  has  few  equals.  Most  scientific 
papers  will  stand  a  considerable  amount  of  winnowing, 
and  there  is  no  assay-master  more  scrupulousl}'  strict 
than  Time.  "  The  more  a  science  advances,  the  more  it 
becomes  concentrated  in  little  books,"  says  Leibnitz;  but 
the  most  fastidious  of  critics  might  read  and  re-read  this 
work  without  wishing  to  omit  or  amend  a  sentence. 

Every  chemical  student  to-day  is  told  that  the 
elementary  nature  of  chlorine  was  first  demonstrated  by 
Davy,  and  if  the  student  is  informed  what  Davy  meant  by 
the  term  "  element,"  the  statement  is  not  incorrect.  What, 
however,  Davy  actually  did  was  to  demonstrate  that  the 
substance  called  oxymuriatic  acid  contained  no  oxygen ; 
that  it  was  a  peculiar  substance  which  "  has  not  as  yet 
been  decompounded,"  and  therefore  is  "  elementary  as 
far  as  our  knowledge  extends."  The  very  character  of 
the  name  which  he  suggested  indicates  this  cautious 
and  philosophical  view.  In  making  the  suggestion,  he 
says  : — 

"To  call  a  body  which  is  not  known  to  contain  oxygen  and  which 
cannot  contain  muriatic  acid,  oxymuriatic  acid,  is  contrary  to  the 


136  JIUMI'IIKV    DAW, 

])rim'iitle3  of  that  nomenclature  in  which  it  is  adopted  ;  and  an 
alteration  of  it  seems  necessary  to  assist  the  ))rogress  of  dis- 
cussion, and  to  dirt'use  just  ideas  on  the  suhject.  If  the  great 
discoverer  of  this  substance  [Siheele,  who  first  ol)served  it  in 
1774]  had  sij;niHed  it  by  any  simple  name,  it  would  have  been 
proper  to  liave  recurred  to  it;  ]mt,  (/c/>/t/(i<ji!<fic((ff<l  iiiarhic  acid 
is  a  term  which  can  hardly  be  adojited  in  the  present  advanced 
era  of  the  science. 

"After  consulting  some  of  tlie  most  eminent  chemical 
philoso])hers  in  this  country,  it  lias  been  judged  most  proper  to 
suggest  a  name  founded  U])on  one  of  its  obvious  and  characteristic 
properties — its  colour,  and  to  call  it  chlorine^  or  chloric  gas.* 

"Should  it  hereafter  be  discovered  to  be  compound,  and  even 
to  contain  oxygen,  this  name  can  im[)ly  no  error,  and  cannot 
necessarily  require  a  change." 

As  the  iicLuiil  facts  and  arguinents  on  wliich  Davy 
based  his  views  are  seldom  set  forth  in  text-books,  or 
presented  to  the  student  by  teachers,  it  may  be  desirable 
to  give  a  detailed  account  of  his  famous  memoir.  He 
begins  by  saying  : — 

"The  illustrious  discoverer  of  the  oxymuriatic  acid  considered 
it  as  muriatic  acid  freed  from  hydrogen ;  and  the  common 
muriatic  acid  as  a  comi)Ound  of  hydrogen  and  oxymuriatic  acid; 
and  on  this  theory  he  denominated  oxymuriatic  acid  deplilo- 
gisticated  muriatic  acid. 

"  M.  Berthollet,  a  few  years  after  the  discovery  of  Scheele, 
made  a  number  of  important  and  curious  experiments  on  this 
body ;  from  which  he  concluded  that  it  w  as  composed  of  muriatic 
acid  and  oxygen  ;  and  this  idea  for  nearly  twenty  years  has  been 
almost  universally  adopted." 

Havmg  thus  accurately  stated  the  position,  he 
proceeds  to  attack  it.  In  the  first  place,  he  points  out 
that  Henry,  ten  years  before,  had  shown  that  hydrogen 
could  be  produced  from  muriatic  acid  gas  by  the 
agency  of  electricity  ;   this   hydrogen  was  assumed   by 

[*  From  x^copos.] 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  137 

Henry  to  be  due  to  water  contained  in  the  gas.  Davy, 
in  his  Bakerian  lecture  of  1808,  had  shown  that  muriatic 
acid  gas  gave  hydrogen  when  treated  with  potassium, 
and  he  had  stated  "  that  muriatic  acid  can  in  no  instance 
be  procured  from  oxymuriatic  gas,  or  from  dry  muriates, 
unless  water  or  its  elements  be  present." 

Gay  Lussac  and  Thenard  had  concluded  "  that 
muriatic  acid  gas  contains  about  one-quarter  of  its 
weight  of  water ;  and  that  oxymuriatic  acid  is  not  de- 
composahle  by  any  substances  but  hydrogen,  or  such 
as  can  form  triple  combinations  with  it." 

He  then  points  out,  what  he  had  already  stated  in 
a  former  paper,  that  charcoal  freed  from  hydrogen 
and  moisture  by  intense  ignition  in  vacuo  may  be 
heated  to  whiteness  by  the  voltaic  battery  in  oxy- 
muriatic or  muriatic  acid  gases  without  affecting  any 
change  in  them. 

It  now  occurred  to  him  that  if  the  liquor  of  Libavius 
(stannic  chloride)  is  a  combination  of  muriatic  acid  and 
oxide  of  tin,  as  then  surmised,  oxide  of  tin  ought  to  be 
separated  from  it  by  means  of  ammonia.  On  admitting 
ammonia  gas  to  the  tin  chloride  over  mercurj^  the 
substances  combined  with  great  heat,  a  white  solid  was 
obtained;  "some  of  it  was  heated  to  ascertain  if  it 
contained  oxide  of  tin,  but  the  whole  volatilised,  pro- 
ducing dense  pungent  fumes."  The  experiment  was 
repeated  with  every  care,  but  no  oxide  of  tin  could  be 
obtained. 

He  was  next  led  to  study  the  behaviour  of  ammonia 
with  the  substances  he  had  formerly  obtained,  by  the 
action  of  oxymuriatic  gas  on  phosphorus  (see  p.  129). 
One  of  these  is  solid,  and  is  now  known  as  phosphorus 
pentachloride  ;  the  other  is  liquid,  and  is  termed  phos- 
phorus trichloride. 


ins  IIIMl'FIRV    DAVY, 

"  The  6rst,''  he  says,  "  on  the  generally  received  theory  of  the 
nature  of  oxymuriatic  acid,  must  be  considered  as  a  compound  of 
iimriiitic  acid  iiiul  phosphoric  acid.  It  occurred  to  me  that  if  the 
acids  of  phospliorus  really  existed  in  these  combinations,  it  would 
not  be  difficult  to  obtain  them,  and  thus  to  gain  proof  of  the 
existence  of  oxygen  in  oxynuiriatic  acid." 

He  therefore  brought  ammonia  gas  into  contact  with 
the  sohd  compound  of  oxymuriatic  acid  and  pliosphorus. 
^luch  heat  was  produced,  and  a  white  opaque  powder 
was  formed. 

"Supposing  that  this  substance  was  composed  of  the  dry 
muriate  and  phosphate  of  ammonia  ;  as  nmriate  of  ammonia  is 
very  volatile,  and  as  ammonia  is  driven  off  from  phosphoric  acid, 
by  a  heat  below  redness  I  (conceived  that  by  igniting  the  product 
obtained  I  should  procure  phosphoric  acid  .  .  .  but  found 
to  my  great  surprise  that  it  was  not  at  all  volatile  nor  decom- 
posable at  this  degree  of  heat,  and  that  it  gave  off  no  gaseous 
matter.  The  circumstance  that  a  substance  composed  principally 
of  oxymuriatic  acid  and  ammonia  should  resist  decomposition  or 
change  at  so  high  a  temperature  induced  me  to  pay  particular 
attention  to  the  properties  of  this  new  body." 

What  he  actually  obtained  was  mainly  a  mixture  ot 
the  so-called  pliospliani  and  cldoropliOHplianiide,  re- 
markably stable  substances,  the  characteristic  properties 
of  which  he  describes  with  accui'acy.  He  then  ex- 
amined the  action  of  ammonia  gas  on  sulphur  chloride, 
"  the  sulphuretted  muriatic  liquor  of  Dr.  Thomson,"  but 
as  the  compounds  formed 

"  did  not  present  the  same  uniform  and  interesting  properties  as 
that  from  the  phosphoric  sublimate,  I  did  not  examine  them 
minutely  :  I  contented  myself  by  ascertaining  that  no  substance 
known  t>j  contain  oxygen  could  hQ  procured  from  oxymuriatic 
acid  in  this  mode  of  operation." 

He  then  shows  that  ammonia  and  oxynuu'iatic  acid, 
in    condensing     to    sal    ammoniac    with     liberation    of 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  139 

nitrogen,  contrary  to  the  general  belief,  form  no  water. 
According  to  Cruicksliank,  avIio  appears  to  have  been 
the  first  to  make  the  observation,  "hydrogenous  gas" 
required  rather  more  than  its  own  volume  of  oxygenated 
muriatic  acid  to  saturate  it  when  a  mixture  of  the  two 
was  exploded  by  means  of  the  electric  spark,  "  the 
products  being  water  and  muriatic  acid."  Gay  Lussac 
and  Thenard  had  stated  that  no  water  was  thus  formed. 

"I  have  attempted,"  says  Davy,  "to  make  the  experiment 
still  more  refined  by  drying  the  oxymuriatic  acid  and  the  hydrogen 
by  introducing  them  into  vessels  containing  muriate  of  lime 
[calcium  chloride]  and  by  suffering  them  to  coml)ine  at  common 
temperatures  ;  but  I  have  never  been  able  to  avoid  a  slight  con- 
densation ;  though  in  proportion  as  the  gases  were  free  from 
oxygen  or  water,  this  condensation  diminished."  * 

"  MM.  Gay  Lussac  and  Thenard  have  proved  by  a  cojaous 
collection  of  instances,  that  in  the  usual  cases  where  oxygen  is 
procured  from  oxymuriatic  acid,  water  is  always  present,  and 
muriatic  acid  gas  is  formed  ;  now  as  it  is  shewn  that  oxymuriatic 
acid  gas  is  converted  into  muriatic  acid  gas  by  combining  with 
hydrogen,  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  avoid  the  conclusion,  that  the 
oxygen  is  derived  from  the  decomposition  of  the  water,  and 
consequently  that  the  idea  of  the  existence  of  A\ater  in  muriatic 
acid  gas,  is  hypothetical,  depending  upon  an  assumption  which 
has  not  yet  been  proved— the  existence  of  oxygen  in  oxymuriatic 
acid  gas. 

"  MM.  Gay  Lussac  and  Thenard  indeed  have  stated  an  ex- 
periment, which  they  consider  as  proving  that  muriatic  acid  gas 
contains  one  quarter  of  its  weight  of  combined  water.  They 
passed  this  gas  over  litharge,  and  obtained  so  much  water ;  but 
it  is  obvious,  that  in  this  case,  they  formed  the  same  cinnpound  as 
that  produced  by  the  action  of  oxymuriatic  acid  on  lead  ;  and  in 
this  process  the  muriatic  acid  must  lose  its  hydrogen  and  the 
lead  its  oxygen ;  which  of  course  would  form  water ;  these  able 

*  Theoretically,  there  should  be  no  contraction.  One  volume  of 
chlorine  combines  with  one  volume  of  hydrogen  to  form  two  volumes  of 
hydrogen  chloride  [muriatic  acid  gas].  Dalton's  law  of  gaseous  volumes 
had  been  established  by  Gay  Lussac  before  1810. 


140  m"\iPHRY  r>Avv 

c'lieiuists,  iiuleed,  from  the  conclusion  of  tliL'ir  memoir,  seem 
aware,  that  such  an  e.\i»lanation  may  be  given,  for  they  say,  that 
the  oxymuriatic  acid  ma;i  be  considered  as  a  simple  body." 

He  then  repeats  the  experiments  which  first  led 
him  (i)  suspect  the  existence  of  combined  water  in 
muriatic  acid. 

"  When  mercury  is  made  to  act  ui)on  1  volume  of  muriatic 
acid  gas,  by  voltaic  electricity,  all  the  acid  disappears,  calomel  is 
formed,  and  about  ■.">  of  hydrogen  evolved." 

The  same  result  is  obtained  by  the  use  of  potassium. 

"And  in  some  experiments  made  very  carefully  by  my  brother, 
jNlr.  John  Davy,  on  the  decomposition  of  muriatic  acid  gas,  by 
heated  tin  and  zinc,  hydrogen,  eciual  to  about  half  its  volume, 
Avas  disengaged,  and  metallic  muriates,  the  same  as  those  produced 
by  the  combustion  of  tin  and  zinc  in  oxymuriatic  gas,  resulted." 

"  It  is  evident  from  this  series  of  observations,  that  Scheele's 
view  (though  obscured  by  terms  derived  from  a  vague  and 
unfounded  general  theory)  of  the  nature  of  the  oxymuriatic  and 
muriatic  acids,  may  be  considered  as  an  expression  of  facts ; 
whilst  the  view  adopted  by  the  French  school  of  chemistry,  and 
which,  till  it  is  minutely  examined,  appears  so  beautiful  and 
satisfactory  rests  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  upon 
hypothetical  grounds." 

He  then  proceeds  to  explain  the  action  of  water 
upon  the  chlorides  of  tin,  and  phosphorus;  and  shows 
that  it  is  by  the  decomposition  of  the  water  that  the 
hydrogen  is  furnished  to  the  oxymuriatic  acid,  and  the 
oxygen  to  the  tin  and  phosphorus. 

"  The  vivid  combustion  of  bodies  in  oxymuriatic  acid  gas,  at 
first  view,  appears  a  reason  why  oxygen  should  be  admitted  in 
it  ;  but  heat  and  light  are  merely  results  of  the  intense  agency 
of  combination.  .Sulphur  and  metals,  alkaline  earths  and  acids 
become  ignited  during  their  mutual  agency ;  and  such  an  effect 
might  be  expected  in  an  operation  so  rapid  as  that  of  oxymuriatic 
acid  upon  metals  and  inflammable  bodies." 

"That  the  quantity  of  hydrogen  evolved  during  the  decom- 


POET   AND    PHII.OSOPHER.  141 

position  of  muriatic  acid  gas  by  metals,  is  the  same  that  would  be 
produced  during  the  decomposition  of  water  by  the  same  bodies, 
appears,  at  first  view,  an  evidence  in  favour  of  the  exi?tence  of 
water  in  muriatic  acid  gas  ;  but  as  there  is  only  one  known  com- 
bination of  hydrogen  with  oxymuriatic  acid,  one  quantity  must 
always  be  separated.  Hydrogen  is  disengaged  from  its  oxy- 
muriatic combination  by  a  metal,  in  the  same  manner  as  one 
metal  is  disengaged  by  another  from  similar  combinations." 

He  once  more  shows  that  by  the  strongest  analytical 
power  he  can  command  oxymuriatic  acid  fails  to  yield 
any  substance  differing  from  itself: 

"  I  have  caused  strong  explosions  from  an  electrical  jar,  to 
pass  through  oxymuriatic  gas,  by  means  of  points  of  platina,  for 
several  hours  in  succession  ;  but  it  seemed  not  to  undergo  the 
slightest  change." 

Such,  then,  are  the  reasons  which  induced  Davy  to 
consider  that  oxymuriatic  acid  contains  no  oxygen  ;  that 
it  had  hitherto  been  "  undecompounded,"  and  that, 
therefore,  by  the  strict  logic  of  chemistry,  it  was  to 
be  regarded  as  an  elementary  body.  Had  his  paper 
concluded  at  this  point,  his  position  Avould  have  been 
unassailable,  even  in  the  light  of  nearly  ninety  years 
of  subsequent  work.  But  he  could  not  stop  here. 
Berthollet,  the  author  of  the  prevailing  theory,  had 
discovered  a  salt  then  known  as  hyper-oxymuriate  of 
potash,  presumably  capable  of  furnishing  an  acid  termed 
by  Chenevix  ItyiMr-oxygenised  muriatic  acid.  This 
salt  is  now  termed  potassium  chlorate,  after  the  acid 
which  Davy  subsequently  succeeded  in  isolating,  and 
which,  when  the  chlorine  theory  was  generally  accepted, 
was  called  chloric  acid  by  Gay  Lussac.  The  existence 
of  the  hyper  oxymuriate  of  potash  was  for  a  time  a 
stumbling-block,  and  Davy  sought  to  explain  it  on  the 
assumption  that  it  was  nothing  more  than  a  triple 
compound  of  oxymuriatic  acid,  potassium,  and  oxygen. 


142  ll^^!l'lll;^■    d.wv, 

"  \Vc  have  iki  right  to  assume  the  exi.steiK'c  ot  any  peculiar 
aciil  in  it,  or  of  a  foiisi(leral)le  portion  of  combined  water  ;  and 
it  is  pi-rliaps  niori'  conformable  t.)  the  analogy  of  chemistry  to 
suppose  the  Kirge  quantity  of  oxygen  comhiued  with  the  potassium, 
Avhicli  we  know  has  an  intense  affinity  for  oxygen,  and  which  from 
some  exi)erime)its,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  is  capable  of  com- 
bining directly  with  more  oxygen  than  exists  in  potash,  than  witli 
the  oxyniuriatic  acid  whicli,  as  far  as  is  known,  has  no  aflinity  for 
that  substance." 

It  is  perfectl}'  true,  as  Davy  surmised,  that  potassium 
can  combine  with  more  oxygen  than  is  contained  in 
potash,  but  it  is  no  less  true,  as  he  himself  proved  by 
his  discovery  of  the  so-called  euchlorine,  that  chlorine 
can  combine  with  oxygen.  Although  he  made  several 
attempts  to  isolate  Mr.  Chcnevix's  hyper-oxygenised 
muriatic  acid,  he  was  not  successful  at  the  time,  and 
was  evidentl}'  disposed  to  doubt  its  separate  existence. 

The  remaining  portion  of  the  paper,  although  of 
interest  as  exemplifying  Davy's  power  of  dealing  with 
the  broad  issues  which  his  views  raise,  need  not  detain 
us  now.  He  seizes  the  opportunit3^  however,  to  correct 
his  statements  with  regard  to  the  presumed  compound 
nature  of  sulphur  and  phosphorus,  and  gives  details  of 
observations,  some  of  which,  as  in  other  of  his  papers, 
have  been  "  discovered  "  by  subsequent  observers.  Thus 
he  states : — 

"I  have  never  been  al)le  to  burn  sulphur  in  oxygen  without 
forming  .sulphuric  acid  in  .small  quantities  ;  l>ut  in  several  experi- 
ments 1  have  obtained  from  92  to  98  parts  of  sulphurous  acid 
from  100  of  oxygen  in  volume  ;  from  which  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  that  sulphurous  acid  consists  of  sulphur  dissolved  in  an 
equal  volume  of  oxygen." 

It  was  hardly  to  be  expected  that  views  so  entirely 
opposed  to  the  convictions  of  chemists  at  the  time 
should  pass  unchallenged.      Berzelius,  the  countryman 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  143 

of  Sclieele,  warmly  defended  the  doctrine  of  the  French 
School,  and  yet  another  Scotch  professor  sought  to 
show  that  Davy  was  still  "  vera  troublesome."  The 
controversy,  in  which  Davy  himself  took  little  part, 
occasioned  considerable  stir  at  the  period,  and  was 
even  of  interest  outside  philosophical  circles.  The 
discussion  was  not  without  its  uses,  inasmuch  as  it 
led  to  fresh  discoveries.  The  noise  of  it  all,  however, 
is  now  forgotten.  Berzelius  eventually"  enjoined  his 
cook  to  speak  no  longer  of  oxymuriatic  acid  :  '•  Thou 
must  call  it  chlorine,  Anna ;  that  is  better."  Dr.  Murray, 
with  the  pertinacity  of  his  race,  still  clung  to  the 
old  doctrine,  and  defended  it  with  no  little  dialectical 
subtlety,  but  he  alone  was  faithful  among  the  faithless. 
It  is  true  there  has  been  an  occasional  flutter  in 
the  dovecots  since  these  times,  and  the  faith  of 
chemists  in  the  validity  of  Davy's  teaching  has  been 
once  or  twice  assailed,  but  as  yet  it  has  survived  all 
assaults. 

The  Roj-al  Institution  possesses  a  book  which  no 
lover  of  science  can  regard  with  other  than  reverential 
interest.  It  is  a  small,  well-bound  quarto  of  some  386 
manuscript  pages,  of  notes  taken  by  Michael  Faraday, 
when  a  bookbinder's  apprentice,  of  the  last  of  Davy's 
lectures  at  the  Institution.  A  Mr.  Dance — his  name 
deserves  to  be  held  in  remembrance — had  given 
the  youth  a  ticket  for  the  lectures,  and  Faraday, 
perched  in  the  gallery  over  the  clock,  had  zealously 
followed  the  expositions  of  the  brilliant  lecturer,  and 
had  subsequently,  when  asking  for  an  engagement  at 
the  Institution,  sent  in  these  notes,  neatly  written  out 
and  embellished  with  drawings  of  the  apparatus,  to  the 
Professor  as  evidence  of  the  applicant's  "  knowledge, 
diho-ence  and  order."      Among  the  lectures   is  one  on 


I  14  iiiMriiiiv   n.wv, 

chloiiiu',  ^iveii  on  March  14l1i,  .IM2,  the  notes  of  which 
are  as  cliaructeristic  of  the  auditor  as  of  the  lecturer. 
^^'e  read : — 

"Accustomed  for  years  to  consider  the  chemical  principles  of 
the  French  Scliool  of  PhysicMl  Sciences  as  correct,  I  had  adopted 
them  and  i)nt  faith  in  them  until  they  became  prejudices,  and  I 
even  folt  un\villin,2:  to  give  them  uj)  when  my  judgment  was 
fully  convinced  by  experiment  that  they  were  erroneous.  I  know 
tliat  this  is  the  case  in  some  degree  with  almost  every  person  ;  he 
is  unwilling  to  believe  that  he  is  wrong  and  therefore  feels  averse 
to  adopt  what  is  right  when  it  ojiposes  his  piincii)les. ' 

Then  follows  an  account  of  various  experiments 
showing'  the  properties  of  chlorine,  and  the  proofs  that 
it  contains  no  oxygen  : — 

"Oxygen  dons  combine  with  chlorine.  I  have  ventured  to 
name  the  compound  exwhloriw ;  it  is  of  a  very  bright  yellow- 
green  colour.  Names  should  represent  things  not  opinions  for  in 
the  last  case  they  often  tend  to  misrepresent  and  mislead. 

"Had  Mr.  Berthollet  obtained  oxygen  from  chlorine  there 
would  have  been  no  error  in  his  theory,  but  by  not  attending  to 
the  miimte  circumstances  of  his  experiment,  by  not  ascertaining 
that  the  water  present  acted  no  part  and  was  not  decomposed 
he  fell  into  an  error,  and  of  course  all  the  conclusions  he  drew 
were  false  and  erroneous.  Nothing  should  be  allowed  but  what 
can  be  proved  by  experiment,  and  nothing  should  be  taken  for 
granted  upon  analogy  or  supposition." 

Faraday  concludes  as  follows  : — 

"  Mr.  Davy  now  proceeded  to  conunent  and  make  observations 
on  the  former  theory  of  chlorine  gas.  Here  I  was  unable  to 
follow-  him.  The  plan  which  I  ])ursue  in  taking  of  notes  is  con- 
venient and  self-sufficient  with  respect  to  the  theoretical  and  also 
the  practical  part  of  the  lecture,  but  for  the  embellishments  and 
ornaments  of  it  it  will  not  answer.  ^Ir.  Davy's  language  at  those 
times  is  so  superior  (and  indeed  throughout  the  whole  course  of 
the  lecture)  that  then  lam  infinitely  below  him,  and  nm  incapable 
of  following  him  even  in  an  humble  style.  Therefore  I  shall  not 
attempt  it ;  it  will  be  sufficient  to  give  a  kind  of  contents  of  it. 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER,  145 

He  said  that  hypotheses  should  not  be  considered  as  facts  and 
built  upon  accordingly.  Nevertheless,  if  cautiously  pursued,  they 
might  lead  to  mature  fruit.  That  nothing  should  be  taken  for 
granted  unless  proved.  By  considering  oxygen  as  contained  in 
chlorine  the  whole  chemical  world  had  been  wrapped  in  error 
respecting  that  body  for  more  than  one-third  of  a  century. 

"  He  noticed  that  all  the  truly  great  scientific  men  were 
possessed  of  great  humility  and  diffidence  of  their  own  opinions 
and  powers.  He  spoke  of  Scheele,  the  discoverer  of  chlorine  ; 
observed  that  he  possessed  a  truly  philosophical  spirit,  gave  up 
his  opinions  when  he  supix)sed  them  to  be  erroneous,  and  without 
hesitation  or  reluctance  adopted  those  of  others  which  he  con- 
sidered more  correct ;  admired  his  spirit  and  recommended  it  to 
all  philosophers  ;  compared  it  to  corn,  which  looked  but  simple 
and  insignificant  in  blossom,  and  asked  for  little  praise,  yet  was 
the  support  of  man." 

In  his  fifth  Bakerian  lecture,  "  On  some  of  the 
Combinations  of  Oxymuriatic  Gas  and  Oxygene,  and  on 
the  chemical  Relations  of  these  Principles  to  inflammable 
Bodies,"  read  before  the  Royal  Society  on  November 
15th,  1810,  he  still  further  developed  his  ideas  respecting 
the  nature  of  chlorine.  Gay  Lussac  and  Thenard,  who 
had  convinced  themselves  that  potassium  and  sodium 
are  not  hydrates  of  potash  and  soda,  had  made  known 
the  fact  that  potassium  can  combine  with  oxygen  in 
more  than  one  proportion  ;  and  Davy  had  confirmed 
their  conclusion,  seeing  in  it  a  further  proof  of  his 
views  concerning  the  constitution  of  the  liyper-oxy- 
nuu-iate  of  potash.  He  then  studied  the  behaviour 
of  a  large  number  of  the  metals  and  their  oxides  with 
chlorine,  making  in  many  cases  quantitative  deter- 
minations, from  which  very  fair  approximations  to 
the  combining  proportions  or  atomic  weights  of  the 
substances  may  be  deduced.  Thus,  he  says  "  the  number 
representing  the  proportion  in  which  mercury  combines 
must  be  about  200,"  and  that  "  the  quantity  of  chlorine 


146  HUMPH KV    DAVY, 

in  (torrosivc  sublimate  is  exactly  double  that  in  calomel, 
and  that  the  orange  oxide  contains  twice  as  much 
oxygen  as  the  black,  the  mercury  being  considered  the 
same  in  all."  The  atomic  weight  of  silver  deducible 
from  the  amount  of  chlorine  taken  up  b}^  that  metal 
during  its  conversion  into  horn  silver  is  almost  exactly 
the  value  obtained  by  the  most  rigorous  anal3'Ses  of 
modern  times.  It  is,  however,  noteworthy  that  in  this 
paper  Davy  is  brought  into  sharp  conflict  with  Dal  ton, 
and  there  is  a  characteristic  exhibition  of  temper  in  the 
way  in  which  he  protests  against  the  manner  in  which 
Dalton  had  sought  to  use  certain  of  his  numerical 
estimations  in  deducing  the  weights  of  atoms.  The 
comparative  merits  of  Mr.  Higgins  and  John  Dalton 
as  the  real  authors  of  the  explanation  of  the  laws  of 
chemical  combination  have  now  been  fully  and  finally 
assessed,  but  it  was  wholly  unnecessary  for  the  purpose 
of  Davy's  contention  to  underrate  the  originality  of  the 
^lanchester  chemist.  Dalton  was  no  doubt  wrong  in 
the  assumption  that  47  represented  the  weight  of  the 
atom  of  nitrogen,  and  Davy  was  right  in  pointing  out 
the  invalidity  of  the  basis  on  which  this  assumption 
rested,  and  in  his  statement  that  13'4  more  nearly 
represented  the  smallest  proportion  in  which  nitrogen  is 
known  to  combine.     Davy  says  : — 

"  I  sliall  enter  no  further  at  present  into  an  examination  of 
the  opinions,  results,  and  conclusions  of  my  learned  friend  ;  I 
am  however  obliged  to  dissent  from  most  of  them,  and  to  protest 
against  the  interpretations  that  he  has  been  pleased  to  make  of 
my  experiments  ;  and  I  trust  to  his  judgment  and  candour  for  a 
correction  of  his  views. 

"  It  is  impossible  not  to  admire  the  ingenuity  and  talent  with 

■which  Mr.   Dalton  has  arranged,  combined,  weighed,  measured, 

and  figured  his  atoms  ;  but  it  is  not,  I  conceive,  on  any  specu- 

ations  upon  the  ultimate  particles  of  matter,  that  the  true  theory 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  147 

of  definite  proportions  must  ultimately  rest.  It  has  a  surer  basis 
in  tbe  mutual  decomposition  of  the  neutral  salts,  oljserved  by 
Richter  and  Guyton  de  ]\Iorveau,  in  the  mutual  decomi)ositions 
of  the  compounds  of  hydrogen  and  nitrogen,  of  nitrogen  and 
oxygen,  of  water  and  the  oxymuriatic  compounds ;  in  the 
multiples  of  oxygen  in  the  nitrous  compounds  ;  and  those  of 
acids  in  salts,  observed  by  Drs.  Wollaston  and  Thomson ;  and 
above  all,  in  the  decompositions  by  the  Voltaic  apparatus,  where 
oxygen  and  hydrogen,  oxygen  and  inflammable  bodies,  acids  and 
alkalies,  ifec,  must  separate  in  uniform  ratios." 

It  has  been  alleged  that  Davy  in  thus  expressing 
himself  offered  a  kind  of  factious  opposition  to  the  views 
of  Dalton.  In  so  far  as  they  were  atomic,  this  is  possibly 
true,  for  Davy  never  brought  himself  to  regard  the  fact 
of  chemical  combination  occurring  in  definite  propor- 
tions as  admitting  of  the  simple  mechanical  explanation 
of  Dalton,  which  he  considered  too  speculative.  That, 
however,  he  did  ample  justice  to  Dalton's  merits 
ultimately  will  be  seen  from  the  terms  in  which  he 
speaks  of  them  on  the  occasion  of  the  award  to  Dalton 
in  1826  of  the  first  of  the  Royal  medals.  In  one  of  his 
unfinished  Dialogues,  written  shortly  before  his  death, 
"  On  the  Powers  which  act  upon  Matter  and  produce 
Chemical  Changes,"  he  thus  expresses  himself: — 

"  The  atomic  doctrine,  or  theory,  has  been  embraced  by  several 
modern  chemists ;  but  the  development  of  it  is  owing  to  Mr. 
Dalton  who  seems  to  have  been  the  first  person  to  generalize  the 
facts,  of  chemistry  relating  to  definite  proportions.  .  .  .  Mr. 
W.  Higgins  appears  to  have  had  only  some  loose  idea  of  particles 
combining  with  particles,  witliout  any  profound  views  of  the 
quantity  being  unalterable  ;  and  there  is  good  reason  for  thinking 
that  these  ideas,  as  he  expresses  tliem,  were  gained  from  another 
source.  Dr.  Bryan  Higgins,  who  many  years  before  supported  the 
notion,  that  chemical  substances  were  formed  of  molecules,  either 
simple  or  compound,  surrounded  by  an  atmosphere  of  heat ;  and 
his  views,  though  not  developed  with  precision,  approached  nearer 
to  those  of  Mr.  Dalton,  than  those  of  his  cousin.  Rut  neither  of 
j2 


14N  HUMI'ilKV    DAW, 

these  gentlemen  attenii)tecl  any  statical  expressions  ;  and  to 
Kichter  and  Dalton  beloiiys  the  exclusive  merit  of  having  made 
the  iloctrine  practicable.  As  a  theoretical  view,  other  authors 
liave  a  claim  to  it,  and  the  early  followers  of  Newton,  such  as 
Kiel,  Hartley,  and  Marzncchi,  all  attempted  a  corpuscular 
clieniistry,  founded  ujion  tigmx',  weight,  and  attractive  power  of 
the  ultimate  particles  t)f  matter;  but  this  chemistry  was  of  no 
real  use,  and  had  no  other  foundation  than  in  the  imagination. 
Indeed,  in  my  opinion,  ^Ir.  J)alton  is  too  much  of  an  Atomic 
Philosopher  ;  and  in  making  atoms  arrange  themselves  according 
to  his  own  hypothesis,  he  has  often  indulged  in  vain  speculation  ; 
and  the  essential  and  truly  useful  part  of  his  doctrine,  the  ex- 
pression of  the  quantities  in  which  bodies  combine,  is  perfectly 
independent  of  any  views  respecting  the  ultimate  nature  either  of 
matter  or  its  elements." 

He  concludes  the  paper  in  which  he  so  minutely 
studied  the  action  of  chlorine  upon  oxides  by  asking,  if 
it  be  said  that  the  oxygen  arises  from  the  decomposition 
of  the  oxymuriatic  gas  and  not  from  the  oxides,  why  is 
it  alwa3^s  the  quantity  contained  in  the  oxide  that  is 
evolved  ?  And  why  in  some  cases,  as  those  of  the  per- 
oxides of  potassium  and  sodium,  it  bears  no  relation  to 
the  quantity  of  oxymuriatic  gas  ? 

"  When  potassium  is  burnt  in  oxymuriatic  gas,  a  dry  compound 
is  obtained.  If  potassium  combined  wdth  oxygen  is  employed, 
the  whole  of  the  oxygen  is  expelled,  and  the  same  compound 
formed.  It  is  contrary  to  sound  logic  to  say,  that  this  exact 
quantity  of  oxygen  is  given  off  from  a  body  not  known  to  be 
compound,  when  we  are  certain  of  its  existence  in  another  ;  and 
all  the  cases  are  parallel." 

An  argument  in  favour  of  the  existence  of  oxygen  in 
chlorine  might  be  derived  from  the  circumstance  of  the 
formation  of  the  latter  gas  by  the  action  of  muriatic  acid 
on  peroxides.  Davy  found  that,  by  heating  muriatic 
acid  gas  in  contact  with  dry  peroxide  of  manganese, 
water  was  rapidly  formed  and  oxymuriatic  gas  produced. 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER. 


149 


''Now  as  muriatic  acid  gas  is  known  to  consist  of  oxymuriatic 
gas  and  hydrogen,  there  is  no  simple  explanation  of  the  result, 
except  by  saying  that  the  hydrogen  of  the  muriatic  acid  combined 
with  oxygen  from  the  peroxide  to  produce  water." 

The  bleaching  power  of  chlorine  had  been  explained 

by  Scheele  on  the  supposition  that  it  destroj^ed  colours 

by  combining  with  phlogiston.      BerthoUet   considered 

it  to  act  by  supplying  oxygen.      Davy  then  made  the 

well-known  experiment   proving   that    the  dry  gas  "is 

incapable   of  altering   vegetable   colours,    and    that   its 

operation     in     bleaching    depends    entirely    upon     its 

property    of    decomposing    water    and     liberating    its 

oxygen."     It  had  been  supposed  that  oxymuriatic  acid 

gas  was  capable  of  being  condensed  and  crystallised  at 

a  low  temperature.     He  shows  that  it  was  only  damp 

chlorine  or  its  solution  in  water  that  yielded  any  solid 

product.     He  exposed  the  pure  gas,  dried  by  muriate  of 

lime,  to  a  temperature  of  -40'  F.,  without  observing  any 

change.     It  is  curious,  however,  that  liquid  chlorine  had 

actually  been  obtained  by  Northmore  five  years  before 

by   heating   the   so-called    hydrate   of    chlorine   under 

pressure.     The  phenomenon  was  misunderstood,  and  it 

was  reserved   for   Faraday,  in  1823,  to    show  that  the 

product  was  actually  the  liquefied  gas. 

Davy,  who  was  not  always  happy  in  his  suggestions 
as  to  chemical  nomenclature,  proposed  to  denote  the 
compounds  of  oxymuriatic  gas  by  the  names  of  their 
bases  with  the  termination  ane. 

"  Thus,  argentane  may  signify  horn-silver ;  stannane  Libavius's 
liquor  ;  antimonane,  butter  of  antimony  ;  sulphurane,  Dr.  Thom- 
son's sulphuretted  liquor,  and  so  on  for  the  rest.  ...  In 
cases  when  two  or  more  proportions  of  inflammable  matter 
combine  with  one  of  gas;  or  two  or  more  of  gas  with  one  of 
inflammaljle  matter,  it  may  be  convenient  to  signify  the  pro- 
portions by  affixing  vowels  before  the  name,  when  the  inflammable 


150  HUMPH  in'    IWVY, 

nmtter  predoniinates,  mid  altiT  tlie  name  wlien  the  gas  is  in 
excess  ;  and  in  the  order  of  the  al]>hal)et,  <i  signifying  two,  e, 
three,  /,  fmir  and  so  ou.'" 

Tims  he  called  ])lioR]ihoriis  pcntachloride  phos 
phorana,  and  the  trichloride  j>Jios]>horav(',  because  there 
was  a  larc^cr  |torccntage  proportion  of  phoR]ihoriis  in  the 
latter  coiiiponnd  than  in  the  former.  That  Davy  was 
not  unaware  of  the  difficulties  and  inconveniences  of 
such  a  system  of  nomenclature  may  be  inferred  from 
Avhat  he  says  in  his  "Elements"  concerning  the  names 
for  the  two  chlorides  of  mercury,  the  true  composition 
of  which  he  Avas  the  first  to  discover  : — 

"The  names  mercurane  and  niercurana  which  may  be  adojited 
to  signify  the  relations  of  their  composition,  are  too  similar  to 
each  other  to  be  safely  used  as  familiar  ap])el!ations  for  tlie  two 
substances,  as  corrosive  suV)limate  is  a  powei-ful  poison,  calomel 
an  excellent  medicine." 

In  matters  of  chemical  nomenclature  Davy  was  a  great 
latitudinarian.  All  that  he  contended  for  Avas  that  names 
should  be  independent  of  all  speculative  views,  and  should 
rather  be  derived  from  some  simple  and  invariable  pro- 
perty. It  is  remarkable,  hoAvever,  that  he  who  invented 
the  happy  term  "  chlorine"  should  have  objected  to  the 
Avord  "cyanogen."  At  the  close  of  the  short  paper  "On  the 
Prussic  Basis  and  Acid,"  in  Avhich  he  first  made  knoAvn 
the  existence  of  the  cyanides  of  phosphorus  and  of  iodine, 
he  said : — 

"  I  Avish  M.  Gay  Lussac  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  give  up 
the  inexpressive  and  difficult  names  of  cyanogen  and  hydrocyanic 
acid,  and  to  adopt  the  simple  ones  of  prussic  gas  and  prussic 
acid." 

F?y  treating  the  potassium  hyper-oxy muriate  of 
Berthollet  (potassium  chlorate)  Avith  hydrochloric  acid,  a 
greenisli-yelloAV  explosive  gas  is  obtained  Avhich  Chenevix 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  151 

had  referred  to  as  "  li3^per-ox3'genised  muriatic  acid,"  and 
as  indicating  the  existence  of  a  compound  of  oxymuriatic 
gas  and  oxygen  in  a  separate  state.  Davy,  as  we  have 
seen,  was  at  first  incKned  to  doubt  the  existence  of  this 
substance,  and  to  consider  the  gas  as  simply  chlorine. 
But  on  comparing  it  with  chlorine  prepared  in  other  ways 
he  perceived  a  difference ;  its  solution  in  water  was  of 
lemon  yellow  or  orange  colour ;  when  treated  with  mer- 
cury it  becomes  of  a  brilliant  yellow  green.  It  is,  moreover, 
highly  explosive,  especially  when  heated,  even  at  the 
warmth  of  the  hand,  when  it  loses  its  vivid  colour,  and  is 
resolved  into  a  mixture  of  oxygen  and  chlorine.  Metals, 
arsenic,  phosphorus,  charcoal,  nitric  oxide,  act  upon  it  in 
a  manner  different  from  that  of  chlorine.  Davy  makes 
use  of  these  differences  as  a  proof  of  the  correctness  of 
his  views  of  the  nature  of  chlorine. 

"If  the  power  of  bodies  to  burn  in  oxymuriatic  gas  depended 
upon  the  presence  of  oxygen,  they  all  ought  to  burn  with  much 
more  energy  in  the  new  compound  ;  Ijut  copper  and  antimony,  and 
mercury  and  arsenic  and  iron  and  sulphur  have  no  action  upon  it, 
till  it  is  decomposed  ;  and  they  act  then  according  to  their  relative 
attiactions  on  the  oxygen,  or  on  the  oxymuriatic  gas.  Theie  is 
a  simple  experiment  which  illustrates  this  idea.  Let  a  glass 
vessel  containing  brass  foil  be  exhausted,  and  the  new  gas 
admitted,  no  action  will  take  place  ;  throw  in  a  little  nitrous  gas 
[nitric  oxide],  a  rapid  decomposition  occurs,  and  the  metal  burns 
with  great  brilliancy. 

"  As  the  new  compound  in  its  purest  form  is  possessed  of  a 
bright  yellow-green  colour,  it  may  be  expedient  to  designate  it  by 
a  name  expressive  of  this  circumstance  and  its  relation  to  oxy- 
muriatic gas.  As  I  have  named  that  elastic  fluid  Chlorine  ;  so  I 
venture  to  propose  for  this  substance  the  name  Euchlorine,  or 
Euchloric  gas  from  iv  and  yXwpog.  The  point  of  nomenclature 
I  am  not  inclined  to  dwell  upon.  I  shall  be  content  to  adopt 
any  name  that  may  be  considered  as  most  appropriate  by  the 
able  chemical  philosophers  attached  to  this  Society"  [the  lloyal 
Society]. 


ir)2  urMrnRv  daw. 

Kiuhloriue  \v:is  snbsei[UOutly  discovered  by  Soubeiniu 
to  be  a  mixture  of  chlorine  and  chlorine  peroxide,  a  gas 
which  Davy  himself  afterwards  isolated  in  a  pure  state. 
It  is  however  obvious  from  the  accounts  he  gives  that  even 
in  his  tirst  paper  he  must  have  been  experimenting  with 
a  fairly  pure  product,  due  pn^bably  to  the  circumstance 
that  he  had  collected  the  mixed  gases  over  mercury,  Avhich 
retains  the  greater  part  of  the  chlorine.  Former  experi- 
menters had  collected  the  gas  over  water,  which  dissolves 
the  chlorine  peroxide  more  readily  than  the  chlorine. 
Madame  de  Stael  once  observed  that  an  interesting  book 
might  be  written  on  the  important  consequences  which 
have  sprung  from  little  differences.  It  ought  to  be  noted, 
however,  that  Davy  had  himself  doubts  whether  his 
euchlorine  was  not  a  mixture  of  chlorine  and  the  gas 
which  he  subsequently  discovered,  and  to  which  he  says  : 
"  I  shall  not  propose  to  give  any  name  till  it  is  deter- 
mined whether  euchlorine  is  a  mixture  or  a  definite 
compound." 

It  has  been  stated  that  Davy  discovered  the  two 
chlorides  of  phosphorus.  In  a  paper  read  to  the  Royal 
Society  on  June  18th,  1812,  "  On  some  Combinations 
of  Phosphorus  and  Sulphur  and  on  some  other  Subjects 
of  Chemical  Inquiry,"  he  reverts  to  these  substances,  as 
they  "  offer  decided  evidences  in  favour  of  an  idea  that 
has  been  for  some  time  prevalent  among  many  en- 
lightened chemists  and  which  I  have  defended  in 
former  papers  published  in  the  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions ;  namely  that  bodies  unite  in  definite  pro- 
portions, and  that  there  is  a  relation  between  the 
quantities  in  which  the  same  element  unites  with 
different  elements." 

He  first  makes  a  determination,  singularly  accurate 
for  the  time,  of  the  amount  of  chlorine  contained  in  the 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  153 

lower  chloride,  and  finds  tliat  ISG  grains  on  decomposi- 
tion with  water  afforded  43  grains  of  horn-silver  ;  theory 
requires  426  grains.  By  synthetical  experiments  he  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  amount  of  chlorine  absorbed  by 
phosphorus  to  form  the  higher  chloride  was  exactly  double 
that  contained  in  the  lower  chloride :  he  found  that  3 
grains  of  phosphorus  combined  Avith  20  grains  of  chlorine : 
in  reality  it  should  require  only  17  J  grains. 

He  shows  that  by  treatment  w^ith  water  the  lower 
chloride  yields  phosphorous  acid,  the  properties  and  mode 
of  decomposition  of  which  by  heat  he  accurately  describes. 
He  further  concludes,  as  the  logical  consequence  of  his 
view  of  the  composition  of  the  two  chlorides,  and  the 
mode  of  their  decomposition  by  Avater,  that  phosphorous 
acid  contains  half  the  amount  of  oxygen  present  in  phos- 
phoric acid,  the  quantity  of  phosphorus  being  the  same. 
It  is  noteworthy  that  in  his  argument,  as  indeed  on  all 
subsequent  occasions  when  he  speaks  of  the  decomposi- 
tion of  water  in  definite  proportions,  he  regards  water  as 
composed  of  2  combining  proportions  of  hydrogen  and 
1  of  oxygen,  and  the  number  representing  it  as  17,  oxygen 
being  resrarded  as  15.  Certain  of  his  statements  con- 
sidered  in  the  light  of  subsequent  work  are  interesting. 
Thus  he  says  : — 

"  A  solid  acid  volatile  at  a  moderate  degree  of  heat,  may  be 
produced  by  burning  phosphorus  in  very  rare  air,  and  this  seems 
to  be  phosphorous  acid  free  from  water  ;  but  some  phosphoric 
acid,  and  some  yellow  oxide  of  phosphorus  are  always  formed  at 
the  same  time." 

He  also  observes  that  unless  the  product  of  the  com- 
bustion of  phosphorus  is  strongly  heated  in  oxygen  it 
contains  phosphorous  acid  as  well  as  phosphoric  acid. 
He  further  states  that  sulphurous  acid  (sulphur  dioxide) 
consists  of  equal  weights  of  oxygen  and  sulphur,  which  is 


]r)4  HUMIMIKV     l»AVV. 

almost  strictly  true,  and  that  sulpluircttcd  h3-drogen  is 
composed  ol  1  combining  jiroportion  of  sulphur  and 
2  of  h^-drogen,  although  his  values  for  the  combining 
proportions  of  sulphur  and  oxygen  are  incorrect.  He 
repeats  Dalton's  experiment  of  the  formation  of  "solid 
sulphuric  acid  "  by  (he  mutual  action  of  sulphur  dioxide 
and  nitric  oxide,  and  shows  that  the  substance  is  only 
produced  in  presence  of  vapour  of  water ;  the  two  sub- 
stances, he  says,  then  "  form  a  solid  crystalline  hydrat ; 
which  when  thrown  into  water  gives  off  nitrous  gas  and 
forms  a  solution  of  sulphuric  acid."  This  substance 
is  the  so-called  "  leaden- chamber  crystal,"  or  nitro- 
sulphonic  acid,  the  existence  of  which  was  first  made 
known  by  Scheele. 

Davy's  conclusions  concerning  the  composition  of  the 
oxides  and  chlorides  of  phosphorus  were  subsequently 
contested  by  Berzelius  and  Dulong,  who  showed  that 
althousfh  the  amount  of  chlorine  in  the  lower  chloride 
was  identical  with  that  which  ho  had  found,  the  ratio 
of  this  amount  to  that  in  the  higher  chloride  was  as  3 
to  5,  and  not  as  1  to  2,  and  that  the  same  ratio  held 
good  as  regards  the  oxygen  in  phosphorous  oxide  and 
phosphoric  oxide.  Davy,  six  3'ears  afterwards,  repeated 
his  experiments,  but  without  discovering  the  fallacy  in 
his  first  observations. 

The  other  incidents  in  Davy's  scientific  career  may 
be  most  conveniently  dealt  with  in  connection  with  his 
personal  history. 


155 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MARRIAGE — KNIGHTHOOD — ELEMENTS  OF  CHEMICAL 
PHILOSOPHY — NITROGEN   TRICHLORIDE — FLUORINE. 

Davy  was  now  (1810)  thirty-two  years  of  age,  and  near 
the  summit  of  his  scientific  fame,  and  perhaps  also,  says 
his  brother  John,  who  was  then  in  daily  association 
with  him,  at  the  height  of  his  happiness. 

"  He  had  earned  an  unsullied  and  noble  reputation  ;  he  was 
loved  and  admired  by  friends,  who  had  cheered  him  on  in  his 
career  ;  he  had  hardly  passed  the  prime  of  manhood  ;  he  was  in 
possession  of  excellent  health ;  he  had  open  to  him  almost  every 
source  of  ordinary  recreation  and  enjoyment ;  and  he  had,  besides, 
the  unfailing  pleasures  derived  from  the  active  aud  successful 
pursuit  of  science.  His  letters  written  at  this  time,  [to  his  mother 
aud  sisters]  strongly  mark  a  happy  contentment,  as  well  as  a  very 
amiable  and  affectionate  state  of  mind." 

His  popularity  at  the  Royal  Institution  was  un- 
bounded ;  indeed,  he  was  the  very  prop  of  its  existence, 
and  was  so  recognised.  But  honourable  as  his  position 
was,  it  brought  him  little  more  than  a  competenc}^ ;  and 
hoAvever  generously  disposed  the  Managers  might  have 
felt  towards  him,  the  financial  circumstances  of  the 
Institution  afforded  no  certainty  of  a  future  inde- 
pendence. The  Bishop  of  Durham  and  Sir  Thomas 
Bernard  sought  to  induce  him  to  enter  the  Church,  in 
the  hope  that  his  talents  and  eloquence  would  minister 
no  less  to  the  cause  of  religion  than  to  his  own 
prospects  of  preferment.  At  this  period  he  had  serious 
thoughts  of  again  applying  himself  to  the  study  of 
medicine,  with  a  view  of  practising  as  a  physician,  and  he 
actually  entered  his  name  at  Cambridge  and  kept  some 


15(1  IIIMI'IIKV    DWV, 

terms  iIkiv  Hut  whether  the  nntbrtnniite  experience 
of  his  colleagues  Wollastoii  and  Young  deterred  hun, 
or  whether,  as  is  more  probable,  Science  had  too  strong 
a  hold  upon  his  atiections,  it  is  certain  he  made  no 
resolute  attempt  to  abandon  her. 

Money  was  never  an  object  with  Davy,  except  as  the 
means  of  procuring  him  the  advantages  which  the 
moneyed  classes  can  coimnand  ;  had  he  cared  for  it,  his 
talents  were  a  marketable  commodity,  and  would  have 
brought  him  riches  in  many  ways.  The  smiling  goddess 
now  sliowed  him  one  way  as  honourable  as  it  was 
lucrative  and  ])leasurable.  The  Dublin  Society  invited 
him  to  lecture  to  them  on  the  discoveries  which  had 
made  him  famous,  with  the  promise  of  a  more  sub- 
stantial token  of  their  appreciation  than  the  sound  of 
their  applause. 

The  following  minutes  from  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Society  serve  to  explain  this  : — 

"May  3,  1810.  Reso/veJ—That  it  is  the  wish  of  the  Society 
to  communicate  to  the  Irish  public  in  tlie  most  extended  manner 
(consistent  with  the  engagements  of  the  Society),  the  knowledge 
of  a  science  so  intimately  connected  with  the  improvement  of 
agriculture  and  the  arts,  which  is  their  great  oliject  to  promote; 
and  tliat,  with  this  view,  it  appears  to  them  extremely  desirable 
to  obtain  the  fullest  communication  of  the  recent  discoveries  in 
electr.i-chemical  science  which  have  been  made  by  ]\Ir.  Davy. 

"  Bcxolved— That  application  be  made  to  tlie  Koyal  Society 
requesting  that  they  be  pleased  to  dispense  with  the  engagements 
of  ]\rr.  Davy  [as  Secretary],  so  far  as  to  allow  the  Dublin  Society  to 
solicit  the  favour  of  his  delivering  a  course  of  electro-chemical 
lectures  in  their  new  laboratory,  as  soon  as  may  be  convenient 
after  the  present  course  of  chemical  lectures  shall  have  been 
completed  by  their  professor,  Mr.  Higgins. 

"  Ji('i^oh>ed—Thtit  the  sum  of  400  guineas  be  appropriated  out 
of  the  funds  of  the  Society,  to  be  presented  to  Mr.  Davy,  as  a 
remuneration,  which  they  propose  him  to  accept,  and  as  a  mark 
of  the  importance  they  attach  to  the  communication  they  solicit." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  157 

We  further  read  :  "  Mr.  Davy  arrived  in  Dublin  and 
delivered  his  course  of  lectures  to  a  crowded  auditory." 
At  the  close  of  his  lectures  the  following  resolution  was 
passed  : — 

"November  29th,  1810.  Besohed—Tlmt  the  thanks  of  the 
Society  be  communicated  to  Mr.  Ti-ofessor  Davy,  for  the  excellent 
course  of  lectures  which,  at  their  reijuest,  he  has  delivered  in 
their  new  laboratory  ;  and  to  assure  him,  that  the  views  which 
led  the  Society  to  seek  for  these  communications  have  been 
answered  even  beyond  their  hopes ;  that  the  manner  in  which 
he  has  unfolded  his  discoveries  has  not  only  imparted  new  and 
valuable  information,  but,  further,  appears  to  have  given  a 
direction  of  the  public  mind  towards  chemical  and  philosophical 
inquiries,  which  cannot  fail  in  its  consequences  to  produce  the 
improvement  of  the  sciences,  arts,  and  manufactures  in  Ireland. 
That  Mr.  Davy  be  requested  to  accept  the  sum  of  five  hundred 
guineas  from  the  Society." 

From  Mr.  Hare's  "  Life  and  Letters  of  Maria  Edge- 
worth  "  we  Qfain  some  further  information  of  the  manner 
in  which  these  lectures  were  received.  In  a  letter  to  her 
cousin,  Miss  Kuxton,  Miss  Edgeworth  writes : 

"We  are  to  set  out  for  Dublin  on  the  13th  [November]  to  hear 
Davy's  lectures." 

Mrs.  Edgeworth  adds : 

"  We  spent  a  few  weeks  in  Dublin.  Davy's  lectures  not  only 
opened  a  new  world  of  knowledge  to  ourselves  and  to  our  young 
people,  but  were  especially  gratifying  to  Mr.  Edgeworth  and 
Maria,  confirming,  by  the  eloquence,  ingenuity,  and  philosophy 
which  they  displayed,  the  high  idea  which  they  had  so  early 
formed  of  Mr.  Davy's  powers." 

Additional   evidence   of  his  success   is  seen   in  the 

circumstance  that  the  Society  decided   to  repeat  their 

invitation  : 

"June  13th,  1811.  Resolved — That  a  letter  be  written  to 
Mr.  Professor  Davy  requesting  him  to  favour  the  Dublin  Society 
and  the  Irish  public  with  a  further  communication  of  the  recent 


IHMI'IIUV    DAW 

discoveries  in  chcmioal  pliilosdpliy,  and  to  deliver  a  course  of 
lectures  in  tlieir  laboratory  For  tliat  ])urpose,  in  the  months  of 
November  and  December  next;  and  retiuesting  that  he  will  also 
rejieat  to  them,  at  the  same  time,  the  course  of  lectures  in 
•geological  science  which  he  has  read  this  year  to  the  Ixoyal 
Institutitm  ;  and  that  he  will  be  so  good  as  to  procure  for  the 
Society  copies  of  as  many  of  the  geological  sketches  referred  to  in 
that  course  as  he  may  think  necessary  for  the  elucidation  of  the 
subject  ;  and  further  requesting  him  to  superintend  the  con- 
struction of  a  voltaic  battery  of  large  plates,  for  the  use  of  the 
Society,  to  be  transmitted  to  them  in  time  for  these  lectures." 

We  next  read : 

"  December  .")tli,  1811.  Resolved  uncmimousl !/—Th^t  the 
thanks  of  the  Society  be  communicated  to  ]\Ir.  Davy,  for  the 
two  excellent  courses  of  lectures  in  chemical  and  geological  science 
which,  at  their  request,  he  has  delivered  in  their  laboratory,  full 
of  valuable  information ;  and  which  have  not  merely  continued, 
but  materially  increased,  the  spirit  of  i)hilosophical  research  in 
Ireland. 

"Eesolved  wianimovsli/— That  Mr.  Davy  be  requested  to 
accept  the  sum  of  £750  as  a  remuneration  on  the  part  of  the 
Society." 

On  the  occasion  of  his  second  visit  Trinity  College, 
Dublin,  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  LL.D.  It  was 
the  only  mark  of  distinction  he  ever  received  from  any 
University.  Before  he  gave  his  lectures  he  visited 
Edcreworthstown,  as  we  learn  in  a  letter  from  Maria  to 
Miss  Ruxton  : 

"  Davy  spent  a  day  here  last  week,  and  was  as  usual  full  of 
entertainment  and  information  of  various  kinds.  He  has  gone 
to  Connemara,  I  believe,  to  fish,  for  he  is  a  little  mad  about 
fishing  ;  and  very  ungrateful  it  is  of  me  to  say  so,  for  he  sent^  to 
us  from  Boyle  the  finest  trout  !  and  a  trout  of  Davy's  catching 
is,  I  presume,  worth  ten  trouts  caught  by  vulgar  mortals." 

To  his  mother  he  writes : 

"  Ballina,  Ireland,  Odoher  Uth. 
"My  dear  Mother,— I  am  safe  and  w^ell,  in  a  remote  and 
beautiful  part  of  Ireland,  where  I  have  been  making  an  excursion 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  159 

with  two  of  my  friends.  I  shall  return  to  Dublin  in  two  or  three 
days,  and  shall  be  very  glad  to  hear  from  you  or  my  sisters  there. 
I  hope  you  are  all  well  and  happy. 

"  I  heard  from  John  a  few  days  ago  ;  he  was  nuite  well  and  in 
good  spirits. 

"The  laboratory  in  Dublin,  which  has  been  enlarged  so  as  to 
hold  550  people,  will  not  hold  half  the  persons  who  desire  to 
attend  my  lectures.  The  550  tickets  issued  for  the  course  by  the 
Dublin  Society,  at  two  guineas  each,  were  all  disposed  of  the  first 
week  ;  and  I  am  told  now  that  from  ten  to  twenty  guineas  are 
offered  for  a  ticket. 

"  This  is  merely  for  your  eye  ;  it  may  please  you  to  know  that 
your  son  is  not  unpopular  or  useless.  Every  person  here,  from 
the  highest  to  the  lowest,  shows  me  every  attention  and  kindness. 

"  I  shall  come  to  see  you  as  soon  as  I  can.  I  hear  with  infinite 
delight  of  your  health,  and  I  hope  Heaven  will  continue  to  pre- 
serve and  bless  a  mother  who  deserves  so  well  of  her  children. 

"  I  am  your  very  affectionate  son 

"H.  Davy. 

"  My  kindest  love  to  my  sisters  and  aunts." 

But  Davy's  affections  at  the  moment  were  not  wholly 
spent  upon  his  kindred,  and  another  mistress  than 
Science  had  become  the  object  of  his  devotion.  The 
"  little  madness  "  of  which  Maria  Edgeworth  wrote  was 
always  a  vulnerable  point  with  Davy,  for  he  followed 
the  calling  of  the  Apostles  with  all  the  zeal  and  ardour 
he  gave  to  philosophy,  and  to  engage  him  upon  the 
subject  of  angling  was  a  more  direct  road  to  his 
sympathies  than  to  talk  to  him  of  science. 

The  wooing  began  in  this  wise : 

"  Mr.  Davy  regrets  that  he  cannot  send  Walton  to  Mrs. 
Apreece  this  morning.  He  did  not  recollect  that  he  had  lent  the 
book  to  a  friend  who  lives  a  little  way  out  of  town.  He  will  send 
honest  Isaac  to  Mrs.  Apreece  to-morrow  or  Thursday. 

"Mrs.  Apreece  is  already  of  the  true  faith  of  the  genuine 
angler,  the  object  of  whose  art  and  contemplation  is  to  exalt 
spirit  above  matter,  to  enable  the  mind  to  create  its  own  enjoy- 
ments and  to  find  society  even  in  the  bosom  of  Nature." 


160  HUMPHRY   DAVY, 

Matters   went    on    apace.      Sliortly    afterwards    we 
read : 

"  r  roturn  the  ticket.  [  begin  to  like  the  opera  from  associa- 
tion. The  .same  association  would,  I  think,  make  me  love  a 
desert,  and  perliaps,  in  a  long  time,  might  make  me  an  admirer 

of  r.mt.s." 

Again : 

"  To  avoid  studiously  what  other  i)eople  seek  would  have  the 
seniMance  of  affectation  and  though  sincerely  I  have  no  ambition 
to  shine  in  courts  or  to  become  a  courtier  ;  yet  I  have  syniitathy 
more  than  enough  to  wish  to  l)e  where  you  like  to  go." 

On  another  occasion  he  wrote : 

"  I  find  an  invitation  from  Mr.  T on  my  return  last  night 

for  Wednesday.     Pray  do  you  go  to  the  Miss  Ch 's  to-night 

or  to  Miss  S 's  to-morrow  night?    I  wish  to  know  as  you  are 

my  magnet  (though  you  differ  from  a  magnet  in  having  no  re- 
l)ulsive  point)  and  direct  my  course.  Your  society  always  de- 
lightful to  me  is  really  at  this  moment  l:)alm  to  a  wounded  mind." 

The  following  is  a  New  Year's  Day  letter  written  to 
arrive  on  January  1st,  1812  : — 

"  I  hope  the  cold  weather  has  not  increased  your  indisposition 
and  that  the  foggy  sky  has  not  made  you  melancholy.  I  trust 
you  are  now  well  and  happy  :  I  give  myself  pleasure  by  believing 
that  you  are. 

"  I  have  a  motive  for  writing  this  day  besides  that  of  doing 
what  I  like.  I  find  that  Friday  the  1 0th  is  a  Royal  Society  Club 
day  and  that  I  ought  to  dine  with  the  Club.  All  other  days  are 
yours  and  that  shall  be  yours  if  you  command  it,  but  I  know 
you  wish  me  to  do  what  I  ought  to  do,  and  you  now  cannot  doubt 
the  exclusive  nature  of  your  influence  and  the  absolute  nature  of 
your  power. 

"  I  .spent  the  last  two  days  very  pleasantly  at  Wilderness, 
Lord  Camden's  ;  there  was  a  very  agreeable  social  party  and  a 
Christmas  country  ball :  a  fine  park  had  lost  its  beauty  from 
the  old  age  of  the  year  and  everything  was  white  ;  the  circle 
round  the  fire  had  in  consequence  more  charms  and  my  friend 
arid  I  left  it  this  morning  very  well  amused. 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  161 

"Tc-day  we  celebmte  the  old  Mr.  Children's  birthday  who  is 
70.  He  bears  his  years  healthfully  and  joyfully.  Sucli  winter's 
days  as  his  are  rather  to  be  desired  than  feared— sunny,  calm 
and  warm. 

"  I  hope,  my  darling  friend,  that  yon  bear  no  uneasiness  in 
your  kind  and  good  heart  and  that  you  give  its  true  meaning  to 
my  unlucky  sentence.  Indeed  I  never  in  the  whole  course  of 
our  social  converse  ever  intended  to  offend  you  or  give  you  a 
moment  of  uneasiness  and  I  do  not  think  I  sliould  feel  anything 
long  painful  that  I  thought  would  promote  your  happiness  even 
though  it  should  require  fi-om  me  the  greatest  of  all  sacrifices. 
You  know  what  this  is  and  I  trust  you  will  never  ol)lige  me  to 
make  it. 

"  I  go  on  Thursday  to  a  wild  part  of  Kent  to  shoot  pheasants  : 
the  howse  is  Mr.  Hodges,  the  i)ost-town  Cranbrook.  I  shall 
accompany  Children  to  town  on  Sunday  ;  and  I  hope  you  will 
permit  me  to  see  you  that  evening  if  I  come  in  time,  or  INfonday 
morning.  I  am  going  on  steadily  for  three  hours  a  day  with 
Radiant  Heat  and  Light.  I  might  petition  for  one  of  your 
distant  beams  of  light.  You  know  it  would  delight  me  ;  but 
whether  it  comes  or  no  you  shall  not  caase  to  be  my  sun." 

These  letters,  with  many  others  addressed  by  hiui 
to  the  lady,  are  now  before  me.  They  had  been  care- 
fully tied  up  and  preserved,  and  are  all  dated  by 
her  on  the  back — even  down  to  the  little  missives  sent 
across  from  Albemarle  Street  to  Berkeley  Square,  where 
she  resided.  From  the  number  and  frequency  of  these 
it  is  evident  that  the  porter  sutfered  from  no  lack  of 
exercise.  After  her  death  in  1855  these  letters  came  into 
the  possession  of  Dr.  John  Davy,  together  with  other 
papers,  and  some  have  been  published  already  in  his 
"  Fragmentary  Remains."  The  correspondence  is  of 
especial  interest  from  the  sidelight  it  throws  on  Davy's 
disposition  and  character.  Many  of  the  letters  are 
delightful  in  tone  and  feeling ;  not  even  Amadis  de 
Gaul,  that  cream  and  flower  of  gentility,  or  that  mirror 
of  chivalry,  the  Knight  of  the  Woful  Figure,  could  have 

K 


1(;2  HUMIMIIIY    DAVY, 

been  more  courtecnis  in  l)canng,  or  liavc  shown  a 
wanner  and  at  the  same  time  a  more  deferential  admira- 
tion of  the  lady  he  wooed.  But  the  world,  after  all,  has 
no  concern  with  their  tender  confidences.  It  is  suthcient 
to  say  that  Davy's  letters  are  such  as  might  hv  (ex- 
pected from  his  ardent  temperament  and  active  imagin- 
ation ;  from  his  love  of  natural  scenery,  his  facuhy  of 
happy  (Expression,  and  graphic  power  of  description. 

Early  in  1812  Sir  .Joseph  Banks,  whose  constant 
thought  was  of  and  for  the  Koyal  Society,  thus  wrote  to 
his  friend  Sir  George  Stanton  : — 

"The  Ivoyal  Society  has  been  well  supplied  with  i>apers,  and 
continues  to  be  so.  Davy,  our  secretary,  is  said  to  be  on  the 
point  of  marrying  a  rich  and  handsome  widow,  who  has  fallen  in 
love  with  Science  and  marries  him  in  order  to  obtain  a  footing 
in  the  Academic  Groves  ;  her  name  is  Apreece,  the  daughter  of 
Mr.  Carr,  [Kerr]  who  made  a  fortune  in  India,  and  the  niece  of 
Dr.  Carr,  [Kerr]  of  Northampton.  If  this  takes  place,  it  will 
give  to  science  a  kind  of  new  eclat;  we  want  nothing  so  nmch 
as  the  countenance  of  the  ladies  to  increase  our  popularity." 

The  lady  was  the  widow  of  Shuckburgh  Ashby 
Apreece,  the  eldest  son  of  Sir  Thomas  Apreece  ;  she  was 
the  daughter  and  heiress  of  Charles  Kerr  of  Kelso, 
who  had  been  secretary  to  Lord  Rodney,  and  had 
made  a  fortune  in  the  West  Indies.  She  was  also 
a  "  far-aAvay  cousin "  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  and  on 
the  occasion  of  his  tour  in  the  Hebrides  with  his 
family,  "  his  dear  friend  and  distant  relation,"  as  he  calls 
her,  accompanied  tbem.  She  had  been,  he  says,  "  a 
lioness  of  the  first  magnitude  in  Edinburgh"  during  the 
preceding  winter ;  and  in  one  of  his  letters  to  Byron  in 
1812,  inviting  him  to  Abbotsford,  he  mentions  as  one  of 
the  visitors  that  would  make  his  house  attractive  "  the 
fair  or  shall  I  say  the  sage  Apreece  that  was,  Lady  Davy 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  163 

that  is,  who  is  soon  to  show  us  how  much  science  she 
leads  captive  in  Sir  Humphry  ;  so  your  lordship  sees, 
as  the  citizen's  wife  sa3^s  in  the  farce,  '  Threadneedle 
Street  has  some  charms,'  since  they  procure  us  such 
celebrated  visitants."  How  Scott  res^arded  her  is  further 
indicated  in  the  letters  which  he  addressed  to  her  on  the 
occasion  of  his  son's  marriage,  and  during  the  financial 
crash  whicli  overwhelmed  him. 

When  the  marriage  was  arranged  Davy  thus  wrote 
to  his  mother  : — 

"  My  dear  Mother, — You  possibly  may  have  heard  reports  of 
my  intended  marriage.  Till  Avithiu  the  last  few  days  it  was 
mere  report.  It  is  I  trust  now  a  settled  arrangement.  I  am 
the  happiest  of  men,  in  the  hope  of  a  union  with  a  woman  equally 
distinguished  for  virtues,  talents  and  accomplishments.     .     .     . 

"  You,  I  am  sure,  will  sympathise  in  my  happiness.  I  believe 
I  should  never  have  married,  but  for  this  charming  woman,  whose 
views  and  whose  tastes  coincide  with  ray  own,  and  who  is 
eminently  (pialified  to  promote  my  best  efforts  and  objects  in 
life.     .     .     . 

"  I  am  your  affectionate  son, 

"H.  Davy." 

In  the  following  letter  to  Dr.  John  Davy,  who  was 
then  in  Edinburgh  as  a  student  of  medicine,  we  have 
also  the  announcement  of  another  event : — 

"Friday,  April  lOth,  1812. 

"My  dear  Brother, — You  will  have  excused  me  for  not 
writing  to  you  on  subjects  of  science.  I  have  been  absorbed  by 
arrangements  on  which  the  happiness  of  my  future  life  depends. 
Before  you  receive  this  these  arrangements  will,  I  trust,  be 
settled ;  and,  in  a  few  weeks,  I  shall  be  able  to  return  to  my 
habits  of  study  and  of  scientific  research. 

"  I  am  going  to  be  married  to-morrow  ;  and  I  have  a  fair 
prospect  of  happiness,  with  the  most  amiable  and  intellectual 
woman  I  have  ever  known. 

"The  Prince  Regent,  unsolicited   by  me,  or  by  any  of  my 


1G4  HUMriiin    i>A\v, 

intimate  t'rieiuls,  was  pK'asod  to  foiil'iT  tlic  lionoiir  ot  kiii^^litliood 
on  nu'  at  tlie  last  leva'.  This  distinction  lias  not  often  \wv\\ 
bestowed  on  scietititic  men  ;  Imt  1  am  jinnid  dl'  it,  as  tlie  greatest 
of  human  rroninses  lioie  it  ;  and  it  is  at  least  a  jnoof  that  tlie 
court  lias  not  overlooked  my  lniml)lc  efforts  in  the  cause  of 
science. 

"  1  have  discovered  pure  phosphorous  aciil  (a  solid  body,  very 
volatile) ;  and  a  pure  hydm-phosphorous  acid,  containiiiji'  two  pro- 
portions of  water  and  four  of  phosphorous  acid,  and  decomiiosing 
Ity  heat  into  phosphoric  acid  and  a  nev^^  gas  containing  four 
proportions  of  hydrogen  and  one  of  phosphorus.     .     .     . 

"Pray  ad<h'ess  to  me  8ir  H.  Davy,  J>eechwood  Park,  near 
Market  8t.  Albans. 

"  P>elieve  me,  my  dear  John,  I  shall  always  take  the  warmest 
interest  in  your  welfare  and  happiness,  and  will  do  everything  to 
jiromote  your  views.  I  shall  have  some  ideas  on  your  studies 
soon  to  communicate. 

"  I  am,  my  dear  brother  most  affectionately  yours 

"  H.  Davy." 

He  was  knighted  by  the  Prince  Regent  at  a  levee 
lield  at  Carlton  House  on  the  8th  April,  1812,  being  the 
first  person  on  whom  that  honour  was  conferred  by  the 
Regent.  On  the  following  day  he  delivered  his  farewell 
lecture  as  Professor  of  Chemistry  at  the  Royal  Institution. 
It  was  on  the  Metals,  and  a  report  of  it  is  contained  in 
Faraday's  manuscript  notes  before  referred  to.  Faraday 
says  :— 

"  Having  thus  given  the  general  character  of  the  metals.  Sir 
H.  Davy  proceeded  to  make  a  few  observations  on  the  connection 
of  science  with  the  other  parts  of  polished  and  social  life.  Here 
it  would  be  improper  for  me  to  follow  him.  I  should  merely 
injure  and  destroy  the  beautiful,  the  sublime  observations  that 
fell  from  his  lips.  He  spoke  in  the  most  energetic  and  luminous 
manner  of  the  advancement  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  of  the  con- 
nection that  had  always  existed  between  them  and  other  parts  of 
a  nation's  economy.  He  noticed  the  peculiar  congeries  of  great 
men  in  all  departments  of  life  that  generally  appeared  together, 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  165 

noticed  Anaxiniaiider,  Anaximenes,  Socrates,  Newton,  Bacon, 
Elizabeth,  etc.,  but,  by  an  unaccountable  omission,  forgot  liimself, 
though  I  venture  to  say  no  one  else  present  did. 

"  During  the  whole  of  these  observations  his  delivery  was  easy, 
his  diction  elegant,  his  tone  good,  and  his  sentiments  sublime." 

Tavo  days  afterwards  he  was  married,  and  Lady  Davy 
and  he  passed  most  of  the  spring  and  summer  in  the 
North  of  England  and  in  Scotland,  on  a  round  of  visits, 
cukivating  those  patrician  instincts  and  susceptibihties 
to  the  charms  of  rank  that  his  new  station  served  to 
accentuate. 

Writing  to  IMiss  Margaret  Ruxton,  Maria  Edgeworth 

says : — ■ 

"  I  suppose  you  have  heard  various  jeujc  d^ esprit  on  the  marriage 
of  Sir  Humi)hry  Davy  and  INIrs.  Apreece  1  I  scarcely  think  any 
of  them  worth  copying." 

But  she  gives  the  following  : — 

"  Too  many  men  have  often  seen 
Their  talents  underrated  ; 
But  Davy  owns  that  his  have  been 
Duly  Apreeciated." 

Sliortly  after  his  wedding  he  Avrote  to  his  brother 
John  : — 

"I  communicated  to  you  in  a  former  letter,  my  plans,  as  they 
were  matured.  I  have  neither  given  up  the  Institution,  nor  am 
I  going  to  France  ;  and,  wherever  I  am,  I  shall  continue  to 
labour  in  the  cause  of  science  with  a  zeal  not  diminished  by 
increase  of  happiness  and  (with  respect  to  the  world)  increased 
independence. 

"  I  have  just  finished  the  first  part  of  ray  '  Chemistry '  to  my 
own  satisfaction,  and  I  am  going  to  publish  my  '  Agricultural 
Lectures '  for  which  I  am  to  get  1,000  guineas  for  the  coiiyright 
and  50  guineas  for  each  edition,  which  seems  a  fair  price.     .     . 

"  I  was  appointed  Professor  (honorary)  to  the  Institution,  at 
the  last  meeting.     I  do  not  pledge  myself  to  give  lectures.     .     .    . 


IGC)  HUMPHRY   DAVY, 

If  I  lo(.'tmv  it  will  lie  on  soino  now  series  of  discoveries,  sliould 
it  be  my  fortune  to  make  them  ;  and  1  give  up  the  routine  of 
lecturing,  merely  that  I  may  have  more  time  to  pursue  original 
iiKjuiries,  and  forward  more  the  great  objects  of  science.  This 
h;is  been  for  some  time  my  intention,  and  it  has  been  hastened 
by  my  niarri;ige. 

"  I  shall  have  great  pleasure  in  iiiakin.L;  you  acquainted  with 
Lady  ]).  She  is  a  noble  creature  (if  1  may  be  permitted  so  to 
speak  of  a  wife),  and  every  day  adds  to  my  contentment  by  the 
powers  of  her  understanding,  and  her  amiable  and  delightful 
tones  of  feeling." 

The  allusion  to  the  Institution  is  thns  more  circiun- 
stantiiilly  dealt  Avith  in  the  -following  Minutes  of  the 
Meetings  of  the  Managers  : — 

"Mill/  11,  1812.  Mr.  Hatchett  reported  that  Sir  H.  Davy, 
though  he  cannot  jdedge  himself  to  deliver  lectures,  will  be 
willing  to  accept  the  offices  of  Professor  of  Chemistry  and 
Director  of  the  Laboratory  and  ]\Iineralogical  Collection  without 
salary." 

Following  which  we  read — 

"  That  the  ]\Ianagers  hear  with  great  regret  the  notification 
which  they  have  just  received  that  Sir  H.  Davy  cannot  pledge 
himself  to  continue  the  lectures  which  he  has  been  accustomed  to 
deliver  with  so  much  honour  to  the  Institution  and  advantage  to 
the  public ;  but  at  the  same  time,  they  congratulate  themselves 
on  the  liberal  offer  which  Sir  Humphry  Davy  has  made  to 
superintend  the  chemical  department,  and  to  assist  and  advise 
any  lecturer  the  Managers  may  be  pleased  to  appoint." 

The  Managers  thereupon  ordered  a  special  general 
meeting  to  nominate  him  Professor  of  Chemistry,  and 
he  was  elected  on  June  1st.  How  necessary  Davy  was 
to  the  very  existence  of  the  Institution  may  be  gleaned 
from  the  fact  that  the  balance  in  its  favour  at  the  end 
of  the  year  was  £3  9s.  lid. 

The  "Chemistry"  above  referred  to  is  his  "  Elements 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  167 

of  Chemical  Philosophy,"  which  was  published  a  few 
months  after  his  marriage,  with  a  dedication  to  Lady- 
Davy.  She  is  asked  to  receive  it  as  a  proof  of  his  ardent 
affection,  which  must  be  unalterable,  as  it  is  founded 
upon  the  admiration  of  her  moral  and  intellectual 
qualities.  The  work  was  begun  in  the  autumn  of  1811, 
and  Avas  composed  with  great  rapidity,  the  "  copy  "  being 
sent  to  the  press  as  it  left  his  pen.  The  introductory 
part  on  the  History  of  Chemistry,  and  that  on  the  General 
Laws  of  Chemical  Changes  and  on  Radiant  or  Ethereal 
Matter,  and  probably  some  other  portions,  are  either 
transcripts  or  amplifications  of  his  Royal  Institution 
lectures.  Other  sections  are  avowedly  based  upon  his 
own  work  as  published  in  the  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions. Indeed,  it  was  remarked  by  a  critic  that  the 
Avork  could  never  be  completed  upon  the  plan  on 
Avhich  it  Avas  commenced,  Avhich  Avas  little  less  than 
a  system  of  chemistry  in  Avhich  all  the  facts  Avere  to  be 
verified  by  the  author. 

Thomas  Young,  his  former  colleague  at  the  Royal 
Institution,  in  the  Quarterly  Review  for  September, 
1812,  thus  speaks  of  it:^ 

"  With  all  its  excellencies  this  Avork  must  be  allowed  to  bear 
no  inconsiderable  marks  of  haste,  and  Ave  would  easily  have 
conjectured,  even  if  the  author  had  not  expressly  told  us  so  in 
his  dedication,  that  the  period  employed  on  it  has  been  the 
'happiest  of  his  life.'     .     .     . 

"  The  style  and  manner  of  this  work  are  nearly  the  same  with 
those  of  the  author's  lectures  delivered  in  the  theatre  of  the 
Royal  Institution.  They  have  been  much  admired  by  some  of 
the  most  competent  judges  of  good  language  and  good  taste, 
and  it  has  been  remarked  that  Davy  Avas  born  a  poet,  and  has 
only  become  a  chemist  by  accident.  Certainly  the  situation  in 
which  he  was  placed  induced  him  to  cultivate  an  ornamented  and 
popular  style  of  expression  and  embellishment,  and  what  was 
encouraged   by  temporary   motives  has  become  natural  to   him 


KiS  HUMPHRY    DAW, 

from  liiihit.  lluiuT  liJtve  arisen  a  nuiltitiulc  of  sentimental 
reflections  and  ajijieals  to  tlie  feelings,  which  many  will  think 
l>eanties  and  some  oidy  prettinesses  ;  nor  is  it  necessary  for  us 
to  decide  in  which  of  the  two  classes  of  readers  we  wish  onrselves 
to  he  arran-^ed,  conceiving  that  in  matters  so  indifferent  to  the 
innnediite  object  of  the  work  a  great  latitude  may  be  allowed  to 
the  diversity  of  taste  and  opinion." 

l^spite  its  egoism  and  the  obvious  marks  of  haste 
and  imperfection  it  displays,  the  work  may  still  be  read 
■with  interest  by  the  chemical  student.  We  would 
recommend  him  before  perusing  it  to  study  Dalton's 
"  New  System  of  Chemical  Philosophy,"  and  he  will 
gain  a  vivid  impression  of  the  extraoi'dinary  strides 
which  the  science  had  made  during  the  four  years  which 
intervened  between  the  publication  of  these  memorable 
books.  Each  work,  too,  is  strongly  typical  of  its  author, 
an  1  reflects  in  the  most  striking  manner  the  range  and 
limitations  of  his  powers  and  the  characteristics  of  his 
genius. 

Towards  the  middle  of  October  Davy  returned  to 
town.  In  a  letter  Avritten  to  his  friend  Children,  from 
Edinburgh,  he  says  : — 

"  I  have  received  a  very  interesting  letter  from  Ampere.  He 
says  that  a  combination  of  chloiine  and  azote  has  been  discovered 
at  Paris,  which  is  a  fluid,  and  explodes  by  the  heat  of  the  hand  ; 
the  discovery  of  which  cost  an  eye  and  a  finger  to  the  author. 
He  gives  uo  details  as  to  the  mode  of  combining  them.  I  have 
tried  in  my  little  apparatus  with  ammonia  cooled  very  low,  and 
chlorine,  but  without  success." 

The  substance  here  referred  to  is  nitrogen  chloride, 
one  of  the  most  formidable  explosives  known  to  chemists, 
and  which  seriously  maimed  Dulong,  its  discoverer,  as 
stated.  The  "little  apparatus"  refers  to  a  portable 
chemical   chest   Avhich    accompanied   Davy   on   all   his 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  169 

travels.  Any  new  combination  of  nitrogen  was  certain 
to  attract  his  immediate  attention.  He  seems  to  have 
remained  to  the  last  convinced  that  nitrogen  would  turn 
out  to  be  a  non-elementary  substance,  and  it  is  remark- 
able how  eagerly  he  caught  at  any  hint  or  surmise  which 
appeared  likely  to  afford  support  to  his  conjecture.  He 
at  once  repeated  Dulong's  experiments  in  Children's 
laboratory  at  Tunbridge,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining 
considerable  information  concerning  the  chemical  and 
physical  properties  of  this  extraordinary  substance,  when 
he  was  wounded  in  the  eye  by  its  explosion. 

He  thus  breaks  the  news  of  his  accident  to  Lady 
Davy  : — 

".  .  .  .  Yesterday  I  began  some  new  experiments  to 
which  a  very  interesting  discovery  and  a  slight  accident  put  an 
end.  I  made  use  of  a  compound  more  i)ovverful  than  gun- 
powder destined  perhaps  at  some  time  to  change  the  nature  of 
war  and  intluence  the  state  of  society.  An  explosion  took 
place  which  has  done  me  no  other  harm  than  that  of  preventing 
me  from  working  this  day  [Sunday]  and  the  effects  of  which  will 
be  gone  to-morrow  and  which  I  should  not  mention  at  all,  except 
that  you  may  hear  some  foolish  exaggerated  account  of  it,  for 
it  really  is  not  worth  mentioning.     .     .     ." 

In  reality  the  accident  was  more  serious  than  he 
would  have  Lady  Davy  believe,  and  the  injury  prevented 
him  from  resuming  his  work  for  some  time. 

In  a  letter  written  about  the  middle  of  January,  1813, 
from  Wimpole,  where  he  was  staying  with  Lord  Hard- 
wicke,  he  says : — 

"  I  have  had  another  severe  attack  of  intlammation  in  the  eye, 
and  was  obliged  to  have  the  conjunctiva  and  cornea  punctured. 
I  suspect  the  cause  was  some  little  imperceptible  fragment.  I 
am  just  recovering,  and  hope  1  shall  see  as  well  soon  as  with  the 
other  eye." 


170  nUMPIIllY    DAVY, 

Tn  the  following  April  he  was  sufficiently  recovered 
to  resinnc  the  study  of  Dulong's  compound,  and  in  a 
letter  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  dated  June  20tli,  liS13,  and 
subsequently  published  in  the  P/iilosophiail  Traiifi- 
(d'tions,  he  gives  a  number  of  details  concerning  its 
nature  and  composition.  He  accurately  determined  its 
specific  gravity — viz.  l'()53 — but  although  he  made  a 
number  of  determinations  of  the  amounts  of  its  con- 
stituents by  various  methods,  his  deduction  that  it 
consisted  of  one  proportion  of  nitrogen  to  four  of  chlorine 
was  incorrect.  The  experiments  of  Gattermann,  made 
"with  great  skill  and  courage,  have  conclusively  shown 
that  the  compound  is,  as  long  surmised,  a  trichloride  of 
nitrogen. 

At  about  the  same  period,  as  we  learn  from  a  letter 
to  his  brother,  dated  April  4th,  1813,  he  attacked  the 
chemistry  of  fluorine  : — 

"  I  am  now  quite  recovered,  and  Jane  [Lady  Davy]  is  very 
well,  and  we  have  both  enjoyed  the  last  month  in  London.  I 
have  been  hard  at  work.  I  have  expelled  fluorine  from  fluate 
of  lead,  fluate  of  silver,  and  fluate  of  soda  by  chlorine.  It  is 
a  new  acidifier,  forming  tliree  powerful  acids  ;  hydro-fluoric, 
silicated  fluoric,  and  fluo-boric.  It  has  the  most  intense  energies 
of  combination  of  any  known  body,  instantly  combining  with  all 
metals,  and  decomposing  glass.  Like  the  fabled  waters  of  the 
Styx,  it  cannot  be  preserved,  not  even  in  the  ape's  hoof.  We 
have  now  a  triad  of  supporters  of  combustion." 

The  results  of  Davy's  work  were  communicated  to 
the  Royal  Society  on  July  8th,  1813.  In  his  paper  he 
states  that  M.  Ampere  of  Paris  had  furnished  him  Avith 
many  ingenious  and  original  arguments  in  favour  of  the 
analogy  between  the  muriatic  and  fluoric  compounds, 
based  partly  upon  his  (Davy's)  views  of  the  nature  of 
chlorine,  and  partly  upon  reasonings   drawn  from   the 


POET  AND   PHILOSOPHER.  171 

experiments  of  Gay  Liissac  and  Thenard.  After  a  short 
account  of  the  mam  properties  of  the  siHcated  fluoric 
acid  gas  (siUcon  fluoride),  discovered  by  Scheele,  fluoric 
acid  (hydrofluoric  acid),  discovered  by  Scheele  but 
first  obtained  pure  by  Gay  Lussac  and  Thenard,  and 
fluoric  acid  (boron  fluoride),  discovered  by  Gay  Lussac 
and  Thenard,  he  states  that,  on  the  hypothesis  of 
M.  Ampere — 

"  the  silicated  fluoric  acid  is  conceived  to  consist  of  a  peculiar 
undecompounded  principle,  analogous  to  chlorine  and  oxygen, 
united  to  the  basis  of  silica,  or  silicum;  the  fluo-boric  acid  of  the 
same  principle  united  to  boron ;  and  the  pure  liquid  fluoric  acid 
as  this  princii)le  united  to  hydrogen." 

He  then  seeks  to  put  the  hypothesis  to  the  test  of 
exjieriment  by  combining  fluoric  acid  with  ammonia  in 
a  platinum  apparatus ;  the  white  solid  substance  he 
obtained — so-called  fluate  of  ammonia — contained  no 
moisture,  and  hence  he  inferred  that  no  water  was 
present  and  that  therefore  fluoric  acid  was  free  from 
oxygen.  The  inference  was  more  correct  than  the 
experiment  warranted.  He  further  found  that  the 
action  of  potassium  upon  fluate  of  ammonia  is  precisely 
similar  to  its  action  upon  nuu'iate  of  ammonia,  when 
ammonia  and  hydrogen  are  disengaged  and  muriate 
of  potassa  formed.  He  then  attempted  to  electrolyse 
solutions  of  hydrofluoric  acid.     He  says  : 

"  I  undertook  the  experiment  of  electrizing  pure  li(iuid  fluoric 
acid,  with  considerable  interest,  as  it  seemed  to  offer  the  most 
probable  method  of  ascertaining  its  real  nature  ;  but  considerable 
difficulties  occurred  in  executing  the  process.  The  liquid  fluoric 
acid  immediately  destroys  glass,  and  all  animal  and  vegetable 
substances  ;  it  acts  on  all  bodies  containing  metallic  oxides  ;  and 
I  know  of  no  substances  which  are  not  rapidly  dissolved  or 
decomposed  by  it  except  [certain]  metals,  charcoal,  phosphorus, 
sulphur  and  certain  combinations  of  chlorine." 


172  Ill'MPintV    DAW, 

After  ViiiiiMis  iinsiiccessl'til  alttMupts  to  make  lubes 
(t|"  siil|>lmr  and  <>l'  the  chlorides  of  loud  and  copper,  he 
succeeded 

"ill  lioriii";  a  [nvrv  nf  liuiii  silver  in  siicli  a  inamifr  tliat  i  was 
al)k' to  t'cmi'ut  a  jtlatiiia  wire  intu  it  l>y  means  of  a  spirit  lamp, 
and  liy  iiiveitin.u  this  in  a  tray  of  platiiia  tilled  witli  lii|iiid  fluoric 
acid,  1  contrived  to  submit  the  Huiil  to  the  agency  of  electricity." 

lie  found  that  the  platiiia  wire  at  the  positive  pole 
rapidly  corroded,  and  became  covered  with  a  chocolate 
powder,  and  what  appeared  by  its  inHanuuability  to  be 
hydrogen  separated  at  the  negative  pole.  He  tried  a 
number  of  other  experiments  Avith  different  vessels  and 
various  electrodes,  but  with  no  better  success. 

He  sutt'ered  great  inconvenience  from  the  fumes  of 
hydrofluoric  acid ;  they  acted  vigorously  on  the  nails, 
and  produced  a  most  painful  sensation  Avhcn  in  contact 
with  the  eyes.  The  conclusion  he  drew  from  his  experi- 
ments was  that  fluoric  acid  is  "  composed  of  hydrogen, 
and  a  substance  as  yet  unknoAvn  in  a  se])arate  form, 
possessed  like  oxygen  and  chlorine,  of  the  negative 
electrical  energy,  and  hejice  determined  to  the  positive 
surface,  and  strongly  attracted  by  metallic  substances." 

He  then  attempted  to  isolate  the  fluoric  principle  by 
treating  various  fluates  in  a  platinum  apparatus  with 
chlorine  gas,  but  although  there  was  evidence  of  de- 
composition and  the  platinum  Avas  violently  acted  upon, 
he  could  obtain  no  new  gaseous  matter. 

"From  the  general  tenour  of  the  results  that  I  have  stated, 
it  appears  reasonable  to  conclude  that  there  exists  in  the  fluoric 
compounds  a  peculiar  substance,  possessed  of  strong  attractions 
for  metallic  bodies  and  hydrogen,  and  which  combined  Avith 
certain  inflammable  bodies  forms  peculiar  acids,  and  which  in 
consequence  of  its  strong  affinities  and  high  decomposing  agencies, 
it  Avill  be  very  difficult  to  examine  in  a  pure  form,  and  for  the 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  173 

sake  of  avoiding  circumlocution,  it  may  be  denominated  Jltcorine, 
a  name  suggested  to  me  by  M.  Ampere. 

"It  is  easy  to  ])erceive  in  following  the  above  theory,  that  all 
the  ideas  current  in  chemical  authors  respecting  the  fluoric 
combinations,  must  be  changed.  Fluor-spar,  and  other  analogous 
substances,  for  instance,  must  be  regarded  as  l;)inary  compounds 
of  metals  and  fluorine  "' 

Davy's  views  are  now  part  of  current  chemical 
doctrine,  and  his  previsions  as  to  the  nature  of  fluorine 
and  its  extraordinary  chemical  activity  have  been 
verified  in  the  most  striking  manner  by  the  admirable 
investigations  of  Moissan. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

DAVY    AND    FARADAY — IODINE. 

The  year  1813  is  memorable  in  the  history  of  the  Royal 

Institution,    from    the    fact    that    Faraday's    long    and 

honourable    association   with  it   dates  from  that    time. 

The   circumstances  which  led  to  this  connection  were 

subsequently  stated  by  himself  in  the  following   letter 

to  Dr.  Paris  : — 

"  Royal  Institution,  Dec.  2:ird,  1829. 

"  My  dear  Sir, — You  ask  me  to  give  you  an  account  of  my 
first  introduction  to  Sir  H.  Davy,  Avhich  I  am  very  haj^py  to 
do,  as  I  think  the  circumstances  will  bear  testimony  to  his 
goodness  of  heart. 

"  When  I  was  a  bookseller's  apprentice,  I  was  very  fond  of 
experiment  and  verj'^  averse  to  trade.  It  happened  that  a  gentle- 
man, a  member  of  the  Royal  Institution,  took  me  to  hear  some 
of  Sir  H.  Davy's  last  lectures  in  Albemarle  Street.  I  took  notes, 
and  afterwards  wrote  them  out  more  fairly  in  a  quarto  volume. 

"  My  desire  to  escajie  from  trade,  which  I  thought  vicious 
and  selfish,  and  to  enter  into  the  service  of  Science  which  I 
imagined  made  its  pursuers  amiable  and  liberal,  induced  me  at 
last  to  take  the  bold  and  simple  step  of  writing  to  Sir  H.  Davy, 


174  HUMI'lIllY    DAVY, 

expressing?  my  wishes,  and  a  lio])c  that,  if  an  o]»]K)rtunity  came  in 
liis  way,  ho  would  favour  my  views  ;  at  the  same  time  1  sent 
the  notes  I  had  taken  at  liis  lectures. 

"  The  answer,  wliich  makes  all  the  point  of  my  communication, 
I  send  you  in  the  oi'iiiinal,  reiiucstiu^'  you  to  take  i;reat  rare  of  it, 
and  to  let  me  have  it  back,  for  you  may  imagine  how  much  I  value. 

"  You  Avill  observe  that  this  took  place  at  the  end  of  the 
year  1812,  and  early  iu  1813  he  rc(iuested  to  see  me,  and  told 
me  of  the  situation  of  assistant  in  tlin  laboratory  of  the  lloyal 
Institution,  then  just  vacant. 

"At  the  same  time  th.at  he  thus  gratified  my  desires  as  to 
scientific  employment,  he  still  advised  me  not  to  give  up  the 
prospects  T  had  before  me,  telling  me  that  Science  was  a  harsh 
mistress  ;  and,  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  but  i)Oorly  rewarding 
those  who  devoted  themselves  to  her  service.  He  smiled  at  my 
notion  of  the  superior  moral  feelings  of  philosophic  men,  and 
said  he  would  leave  me  to  the  experience  of  a  few  years  to  set 
me  right  on  that  matter. 

"  Finally,  through  his  good  efforts  I  went  to  the  Royal 
Institution  early  in  March  of  1813,  as  assistant  in  the  laboratory ; 
and  in  October  of  the  same  year  went  with  him  abroad  as  his 
assistant  in  experiments  and  in  writing.  I  returned  with  him  in 
April  1815,  resumed  my  station  in  the  Royal  Institution,  and 
have,  as  you  know,  ever  since  remained  there. 

"  I  am,  dear  Sir,  very  truly  yours 
"  M.  Faraday." 

The   answer   which  Faraday  characteristically   says 

makes  all  the  point  of  the  foregoing  coinmunication  is 

as  follows : — 

''December  24th,  1812. 

"  Sir, — I  am  far  from  displeased  with  the  proof  you  have  given 
me  of  your  confidence,  and  which  displays  great  zeal,  power  of 
memory,  and  attention.  I  am  obliged  to  go  out  of  town,  and 
shall  not  be  settled  in  town  till  the  end  of  January  :  I  will  then 
see  you  at  any  time  you  wish. 

"It  would  gratify  me  to  be  of  any  service  to  you.  I  wish  it 
may  be  iu  my  power. 

"  I  am.  Sir,  your  obedient  humble  servant, 

"  H.  Davy." 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  175 

The  immediate  cause  of  the  connection  was  very 
trivial  and  commonplace. 

Mr.  W.  Payne,  whose  name  may  be  recalled  in  con- 
nection with  Davy's  memorandum  respecting  the  state 
in  which  the  Laboratory  of  the  Institution  was  kept,  in 
the  latter  part  of  February,  1813,  had  a  disagreement 
with  Mr.  Newman,  the  instrument-maker,  and  so  far 
forgot  himself  as  to  strike  that  gentleman.  Whereupon 
the  Managers  immediately  resolved  that  Mr.  Payne 
should  be  dismissed  from  the  Royal  Institution,  and 
that  a  gratuity  of  £10  should  be  paid  him  in  considera- 
tion of  his  long  services.  Davy  appears  then  to  have 
called  to  mind  the  modest,  bright-eyed,  active  youth 
with  the  pleasant  smile,  who  had  expressed  his  desire 
to  devote  himself  to  science. 

In  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  of  Managers  on 
March  1st,  1813,  we  read — 

"Sir  Humphry  Davy  has  the  honour  to  inform  the  Managers 
that  he  has  found  a  person  who  is  desirous  to  occupy  the  situation 
in  the  Institution  lately  filled  by  William  Payne.  His  name  is 
Michael  Faraday.  He  is  a  youth  of  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
As  far  as  Sir  H.  Davy  has  been  alile  to  observe  or  ascertain,  he 
ai^pears  well  fitted  for  the  situation.  His  habits  seem  good,  his 
disposition  active  and  cheerful,  and  his  manner  intelligent.  He 
is  willing  to  engage  himself  on  the  same  terms  as  those  given  to 
Mr.  Payne  at  the  time  of  quitting  the  Institution. 

"  liesolved—Thsit  Michael  Faraday  be  engaged  to  fill  the 
situation  lately  occupied  by  Mr.  Payne  on  the  same  terms." 

In  the  minutes  of  the  general  monthly  meeting  of 
the  members  on  April  5th,  1813,  for  putting  in  nomin- 
ation from  the  chair  the  professors  for  the  year  ensuing, 
we  read  : — 

"  Sir  H.  Davy  rose,  and  begged  leave  to  resign  his  situation  of 
Professor  of  Chemistry  ;  but  he  by  no  means  wished  to  give  up 
his  connection  with  the  Royal  Institution,  as  he  should  ever  be 


170  IIUMI'IIKV    D.WV, 

liappy  to  cnininunirjito  liis  rosoairlics  in  the  lirst  instance  to  the 
Institntion  .  .  .  ,  ami  to  do  all  in  his  iK)\ver  to  promote  the 
inttMvst  ami  snccoss  of  this  Institutinn.  Sir  H.  Davy  having 
retiroil,  E:irl  Spcnct'r  nioved  That  tho  thanks  of  this  Meeting  be 
retnrned  to  Sir  H.  Davy  for  the  estimable  services  rendered  by 
him  to  the  Koyal  Institntion.  This  motion  was  seconded  by  the 
Earl  of  Darnloy,  and,  on  being  pnt,  was  carried  nnanimously. 
Earl  Spencer  further  moved,  That  in  order  more  strongly  to 
mark  the  high  sense  entertained  by  this  Meeting  of  the  merits  of 
Sir  11.  Davy,  he  be  elected  Honorary  F'rofessor  of  Cliemistry  ; 
which,  on  being  seconded  liy  the  Earl  of  Darnley,  met  with 
nnanimous  approbation." 

Mr.  Brande  was  siibseciuently  elected  Professor. 

J)iiring  the  autuinn  Davy  obtained  permission  from 
Napoleon  to  pass  through  France  in  the  course  of  an 
extended  tour  on  the  Continent  which  Lady  Davy  and 
he  now  projected.     He  thus  announced  his  intention  to 

his  mother : — 

"Andover,  Oct.  14,  1813. 

"  My  dear  Mother, — We  are  just  going  to  the  Continent  upon 
a  journey  of  scientific  inquiry  which  I  hope  will  be  pleasant  to 
us  and  useful  to  the  world.  We  go  rapidly  through  France  to 
Italy,  and  from  there  to  Sicily  ;  and  we  shall  return  through 
Germany.  We  have  every  assurance  fnmi  the  governments  of 
the  countries  through  which  we  pass,  that  we  .shall  not  be 
molested,  but  assisted.  We  shall  stay  probably  a  year  or 
two.     .     .     . 

"As  soon  as  I  have  settled  a  plan  of  correspondence  abroad, 
I  will  write  to  you,  and  shall  hear  of  you  from  John  as  often  as 
possible.  As  I  am  permitted  to  pass  through  an  enemy's  country, 
there  must  be  no  politics  in  any  letters  to  me ;  and  you  had 
better  not  write  except  through  the  channel  I  shall  hereafter 
point  out.     .     .     . 

"When  I  return  I  shall  peacefully  fix  my  abode  for  life  in 
my  own  country.  Pray  take  care  of  Betsy.  When  the  wind  is 
cold  she  should  not  tliink  of  going  out.  Tell  Grace  not  to  be 
afraid,  though  I  am  going  through  France.  My  love  to  Kitty, 
and  to  Grace  and  Betsy.  I  am,  my  dear  mother,  wishing  you  all 
health  and  happines.s,  your  very  affectionate  son       "  H.  Davy." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  177 

On  October  4tli  we  find  that  lie  reported  to  the 
Managers  that — 

"  Michael  Faraday  had  expressed  a  wish  to  accompany  him 
ou  his  scientific  travels,  but  that  he  would  not  engage  Mr.  Faraday 
if  the  Professor  of  Chemistry  considered  his  services  as  at  all 
essential  to  the  Institution,  or  if  the  Managers  had  the  slightest 
objection  to  the  measure." 

Mr.  Brande  reported  that  arrangements  could  be 
made  to  allow  Mr.  Faraday  to  leave, 

"  and  that  as  he  had  shown  considerable  diligence  and  attention 
in  cleaning  and  arranging  the  mineral  collection  he  recommended 
his  services  to  the  Managers'  attention,  as  this  was  not  his  imme- 
diate duty." 

A  few  days  afterwards  the  party,  consisting  of  Sir 
H.  and  Lady  Davy,  Mr.  Faraday,  and  Lady  Davy's  maid, 
too'ether  with  the  chemical  cabinet,  crossed  in  a  cartel 
from  Plymouth  to  Morlaix.  Here  they  were  arrested, 
but  after  a  week's  detention,  allowed  to  depart  for  Paris, 
where  they  arrived  on  October  27th.  Nothing  could 
exceed  the  cordiality  and  Avarmth  of  Davy's  reception 
by  the  French  savants.  On  November  2nd  he  attended 
a  sitting  of  the  First  Class  of  the  Institute,  and  was 
placed  on  the  right  hand  of  the  President,  who  announced 
to  the  meeting  that  it  was  honoured  by  the  presence  of 
"  Le  Chevalier  Davy."  Each  day  saw  some  reception  or 
entertainment  in  his  honour.  On  November  10th  he 
dined  Avith  Rumford  at  Auteuil.  How  much  had 
happened  in  the  ten  years  since  last  they  met,  and  how 
different  their  situations  now  !  Davy  at  the  very  summit 
of  his  scientific  eminence,  courted  and  caressed  by  society, 
honoured  and  admired  by  his  mtellectual  peers  ;  Rumford, 
his  former  patron,  a  broken-hearted,  disappointed  man 
about  to  sink  into  the  grave,  worried  to  death,  in  fact, 
by  his  wife,  and  the  victim  of  the  spiteful  persecutions 


17s  HUMPHRY   DAVY, 

she  instigated.  Ut  the  reiiuirkable  men  of  science  whom 
Davy  met  on  these  occasions  he  has  left  us  some  slight 
sketches  composed  (hiring  his  last  illness,  some  of  which 
are  of  interest  to  the  student  who  desires  to  know  some- 
thing of  the  men  whose  names  are  as  household  words 
in  the  history  of  chemistry.  Guyton  de  Morvcau — who 
])layed'  such  a  leading  part  in  the  political  Revolution  of 
France,  as  well  as  in  the  revolution  of  its  chemistry,  and 
who,  with  Fourcroy,  popidarised  the  doctrines  of  Lavoisier 
whilst  bringing  his  head  to  the  scaffold — was  found  to 
be  a  gentleman  of  mild  and  conciliatory  manners. 

Vauquelin  gave  him  the  idea  of  the  French  chemists 
of  another  age,  belonging  rather  to  the  pharmaceutical 
laboratory  than  to  the  philosophical  one. 

"  Nothing  could  be  more  singular  than  his  manners,  his  life, 
and  his  menage.  Two  old  maiden  ladies,  Mdlles.  de  Fourcroy. 
sisters  of  the  professor  of  that  name,  kept  his  house.  I  remember 
the  first  time  that  I  entered  it,  I  was  ushered  into  a  sort  of  bed- 
chamber, which  likewise  served  as  a  drawing-room.  One  of 
these  ladies  was  in  bed,  but  employed  in  preparations  for  the 
kitchen ;  and  was  actually  ])aring  trutHes.  .  .  .  Nothing 
could  be  more  extraordinary  than  the  simplicity  of  his  conversa- 
tion ; — he  had  not  the  slightest  tact,  and  even  in  the  jiresence  of 
young  ladies,  talked  of  subjects  which,  since  the  paradisaical 
times,  never  have  been  the  objects  of  common  conversation." 

"CuviER  had  even  in  his  address  and  manner  the  character  of 
a  superior  man  ;— much  general  power  and  eloiiuence  in  conversa- 
tion, and  a  great  variety  of  information  on  scientific  as  well  as 
popular  subjects.  I  should  say  of  him,  that  he  is  the  most 
distinguished  man  of  talents  I  have  known  ;  but  I  doubt  if  he  is 
entitled  to  the  appellation  of  a  man  of  genius." 

"  Humboldt  was  one  of  the  most  agreeable  men  I  have  ever 
known,  social,  modest,  full  of  intelligence,  with  facilities  of 
every  kind :  almost  too  jlueiit  in  conversation.  His  travels 
display  a  spirit  of  enterprise.  His  works  are  monuments  of  the 
variety  of  his  knowledge  and  resources." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHTCll.  179 

Of  his  great  rival  his  comment  is  as  follows : — 

"Gay  LusriAC  was  quick,  lively,  ingenious,  and  profound, 
with  great  activity  of  mind  and  great  facility  of  nianii)ulation. 
I  should  place  him  at  the  head  of  living  chemists  of  France." 

"Berthollet  was  a  most  amiable  man  ;  when  the  friend  of 
Napoleon  even,  always  good,  conciliatory  and  modest,  frank  and 
candid.  He  had  no  airs,  and  many  graces.  In  every  way  below 
La  Place  in  intellectual  powers,  he  appeared  superior  to  him  in 
moral  qualities.  Berthollet  had  no  appearance  of  a  man  of 
genius ;  but  one  could  not  look  on  La  Place's  physiognomy 
without  being  convinced  that  he  was  a  very  extraordinary  man." 

All  accounts  appear  to  show  that  Davy  hardly  treated 
his  hosts  with  the  cordiality  and  respect  they  extended 
to  him.  His  Chauvinism  seemed  to  get  the  better  of  his 
courtesy.  There  was,  it  is  said,  a  flippancy  in  his  manner 
and  a  superciliousness  and  hauteur  in  his  deportment 
which  surprised  as  much  as  they  otlended.  Napoleon, 
with  characteristic  bluntness,  told  one  of  the  members 
of  the  Institute  that  he  had  heard  the  young  English 
chemist  had  a  poor  opinion  of  them  all.  Dr.  Paris,  who 
could  certainly  speak  from  personal  knoAvledge,  states 
that  Davy's  unfortunate  manner  was  not  so  much  the 
expression  of  a  haughty  consciousness  of  superiority  as 
the  desire  to  conceal  a  mauvaise  honte  and  gaucherie — 
an  ungraceful  timidity  lie  could  never  conquer,  and 
which  often  led  him  to  force  himself  into  a  state  of 
effrontery  and  with  a  violence  of  effort  Avhich  passed  for 
a  sally  of  pride  or  the  ebullition  of  temper. 

Whatever  Davy's  manner  might  have  been,  it  was 
not  allowed  to  affect  the  admiration  felt  for  his  genius, 
and  on  December  13th,  1813,  he  was  with  practical 
unanimity  elected  a  Corresponding  Member  of  the  First 
Class  of  the  Institute. 

During  the  last  week  of  the  preceding   November 


L  2 


180  HUMPHRY    DAVY, 

Aiupi'i-o  had  given  Davy  a  small  quantity  of  a  substance 
which  he  had  obtained  from  Clement,  and  Avhich  had 
been   discovered  by  C'ourtois,  a  soap-boiler  and  manu- 
facturer  of  saltpetre  in  Paris,  in  kelp  or  the  ashes  of 
sea- weeds.      The     substance     had     the     extraordinary 
]>roperty  of  L,nving  a  violet-coloured  vapour,  but  its  true 
nature  and  relations  were  unknown,  and  it  was  commonly 
designated  as   X.      Although   actually  known  for  some 
time  previously,  the  first  public  notice  of  its  existence 
was  made  by  Clement  at  a  meeting  of  the  Institute  on 
November  29th,  1813,  and  at  the  meeting  on  December 
()th  Gay  Lussac  presented  a  short  note  on  the  substance,  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  iode,  and  stated  that  it  had 
analogies  to  chlorine.      A  week  later — that  is,  on  the 
day  of  Davy's  election  to  the  Institute — a  letter  from 
him  to  Cuvier  was  read,  in  which  he  gave  a  general 
view  of  the  chemical  characters  of  the  body ;  and  on 
January  20th,  1814,  a  paper  by  him,  dated  Paris,  De- 
cember 10th,  1813,  and  entitled  "  Some  Experiments  and 
Observations    on   a  new   Substance   which    becomes   a 
violet- coloured  Gas  by  Heat,"  was  read   to   the   Royal 
Society. 

After  reciting  the  above  facts  he  explains  why  he 
has  ventured  to  take  up  a  subject  on  which  Gay  Lussac 
was  still  engaged.  The  explanation  was  no  doubt 
necessary  ;  he  had  evidently  not  forgotten  Gay  Lussac's 
intrusion  into  his  own  tield  of  work  on  the  occasion  of 
the  discovery  of  the  metals  of  the  alkalis.  He  first 
draws  attention  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  combination 
of  the  new  substance  with  silver ;  this,  he  shows,  is 
markedly  different  from  silver  chloride.  He  then 
forms  this  compound  synthetically;  forms  also  the 
combination  with  potassium  by  direct  union,  and 
describes  its   properties ;  studies  the  action  of  chlorine 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  181 

on    the    new     substance,     and    notes    the     formation 
of  the  3'ellow  solid  chloride  and  the  mode  of  its  decom- 
position by  water ;  prepares  a  number  of  metallic  com- 
pounds ;  studies  the   action   of  the   new   substance   on 
phosphorus,  the  nature  of  the  product,  and  its  mode  of 
decomposition  by   water,   with   formation  of  the  white 
crystalline  phosphonium  iodide  and  hydriodic  acid  gas. 
By  acting  on  this  gas  with  potassium   he   shows   that 
it  yields  half  its  volume  of  hydrogen  and  forms  the  same 
product  as  by  the  direct  union  of  the  alkali  metal  with 
the  new  substance.     He   further  finds  that  this  gas  is 
formed  when  the  new  substance  and  hydrogen  are  passed 
through  a  heated  tube ;  it  has  a  very  strong  attraction 
for  water,  which  dissolves  it  to  a  large  extent,  and  the 
concentrated   solution   rapidly  becomes  tawny.     When 
the  new  substance  is  treated   Avith   potash   solution   it 
forms  the  same  product   as   by   its   direct   union   with 
potassium,   together    with    a    salt   precisely   similar   to 
potassium  hyperoxy muriate,  and  Avhich,  like  that  salt, 
is  decomposed  when  heated,  with  evolution  of  oxygen. 
He  shows  that  the  new  substance  is  expelled  from  its 
compounds   when  these  are  heated  with  chlorine.     He 
studies  the  nature  of  the  black  fulminating  compound 
discovered  by  Desormes  and  Clement  by  acting  on  the 
new  substance  with  solution  of  ammonia,  and  concludes 
that  it   is  analoo^ous  to  the  detonatinsf  oil   of  DuIouct, 
He  attempts  to  determine  the  combining  proportion  of 
the  new  substance,  on  the  assumption  that  its  compounds 
are  analogous  to  those  of  chlorine,  but  he  has  to  admit 
that  his  experiments  have  been  made  upon  quantities 
too  small   to   afford   exact   results.     Nevertheless   they 
prove  that  the  value  is  much  higher  than  those  of  the 
simple  inflammable  bodies,  and  higher  even  than  those 
of  most   of  the   metals.     He   further   shows    that   the 


182  TTTTMPHin'    DAVY, 

ronibination  with  h3'(lrogcii  iinist  Uc  one  of  the  heaviest 
clastic  fluids  cxistintif. 

"  From  all  tlie  facts  tliat  have  been  stated,  there  is  every 
reason  to  consider  this  new  substance  as  an  undecomponndecl  l>i«J i/. 
In  its  specific  gravity,  histre,  colour,  and  the  high  number  in  whidi 
it  eiitors  into  {■(»inbiiiation,  it  resembles  tlie  metals  ;  but  in  all 
its  fhemiral  agencies  it  is  more  analogous  to  oxygen  and  chlorine  ; 
it  is  a  non-condurtor  of  electricity,  and  possesses,  like  these 
bodies,  the  nc-ative  electrical  energy  with  resjtect  to  metals, 
inflammable  an<l  alUalim'  su1)stances,  and  hence  Avhen  combined 
with  these  snbstances  in  a((neons  solution  and  electrized  in  the 
voltaic  circuit,  it  separates  at  the  positive  surface  ;  but  it  has  a 
jiositive  energy  with  respect  to  chlorine.  ...  It  agrees  with 
chlorine  and  fluoriiic  in  forming  acids  with  hydrogen. 

"The  name  iane  has  been  proposed  in  France  for  this  new 
substance  from  its  colour  in  the  gaseous  state,  from  "mv,  viola  ;  and 
its  combination  with  hydrogen  has  been  named  In/droionic  acid. 
The  name  ianc,  in  English,  would  lead  to  confusion,  for  its 
compounds  would  lie  called  ionic  and  ionian.  15y  terming  it 
iodine,  from  iw2>;c,  violaceous,  this  confusion  will  be  avoided,  and 
the  name  will  lie  more  analogous  to  chlorine  and  fluorine." 

The  rapidity  Avitli  which  Davy  ascertained  the 
properties  and  relations  of  the  new  substance  was 
characteristic  of  him.  A  fortnit^ht's  work — done  partly 
at  his  hotel  and  partly  in  the  laboratory  of  the  young 
Chevreul,  amidst  a  succession  of  interruptions  caused  by 
fetes,  levees,  and  visits  of  ceremon}' — sufficed  to  accumu- 
late the  material  for  his  Royal  Society  paper,  in  which 
he  gives  Avith  unerring  precision,  in  spite  of  the  small 
quantity  of  the  matter  at  his  disposal,  the  broad  outlines 
of  the  chemistry  of  iodine.  The  paper  shows  him  at  his 
best :  he  seems  to  have  seized,  as  if  by  instinct,  upon  the 
central  fact  of  the  analogy  of  iodine  to  chlorine,  and  he 
worked  out  the  clue  wnth  a  perspicacity  and  insight 
Avorthy  of  his  genius. 

As   ma}"   be   surmised,   Davy's    action  hardly   con- 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  183 

trihiited  to  his  popularity  with  a  certain  section  of  the 
savants  of  Paris.  Gay  Lussac  and  Thenard  were  ex- 
tremely an^ry  with  Ampere  and  Clement  for  having 
given  him  the  material  for  his  investio'ation,  and  the 
feeling  broke  out  after  the  publication  of  Gay  Lussac's 
memoir  in  the  Annales  de  Chimie  in  1814.  Davy  in 
a  note  published  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Institution 
says  : — 

"  Wlio  had  most  share  in  developing  the  chemical  history 
of  that  body  [iodine],  must  be  determined  V>y  a  review  of  the 
papers  that  liave  been  pubHshed  upon  it,  and  by  an  examination 
of  their  respective  dates.  When  M.  Clement  showed  Iodine  to 
me,  he  believed  that  the  hydriodic  acid  was  muriatic  acid  ;  and 
M.  Gay  Lussac,  after  his  early  experiments,  made  originally  with 
M.  Clement,  formed  the  same  opinion,  and  maintained  it,  when  I 
^rst  stated  to  him  my  belief  that  it  was  a  new  and  peculiar  acid, 
and  that  Iodine  was  a  substance  analogous  in  its  chemical  relations 
to  Chlorine." 

Davy  left  Paris  towards  the  end  of  December,  passing 
into  Auvergne  and  thence  to  Montpellier,  where  he 
resmned  his  work  on  iodine.  He  then  went  to  Genoa, 
where  he  made  some  experiments  on  the  electricity  of 
the  torpedo,  and  about  the  middle  of  March  arrived  at 
Florence.     In  a  letter  to  his  brother  John  he  says  : — 

"  I  have  worked  a  good  deal  on  iodine  and  a  little  on  the 
torpedo.  Iodine  had  been  in  embryo  for  two  years.  I  came  to 
Paris  ;  Clement  requested  me  to  examine  it,  and  he  believed 
that  it  was  a  compound,  affording  nun-iatic  acid.  I  worked  upon 
it  for  some  time,  and  determined  that  it  was  a  new  )>ody,  and 
that  it  afforded  a  peculiar  acid  l)y  combining  with  hydrogen,  and 
this  I  mentioned  to  Gay  Lussac,  Ampere,  and  other  chemists. 
The  first  immediately  'took  the  word  of  the  Lord  out  of  the 
mouth  of  His  servant,'  and  treated  this  subject  as  he  had  treated 
potassium  and  boron.  The  paper  which  I  sent  to  the  Pioyal 
Society  on  iodine  I  wrote  with  Clement's  approbation  and  a  note 
published  in  the  'Journal  de  Physique'  will  vindicate  my  priority. 


184  HrMriim'  oavv, 

I  have  just  got  ready  for  the  Royal  Society  a  second  paper  on  tliis 
fourth  supporter  of  conilnistion. 

"The  old  theory  is  nearly  aliandoned  in  France,  lierthollet, 
whh  much  candour,  has  decided  in  favour  of  chlorine.  I  know 
no  chemist  but  Thenard  who  upholds  it  at  Pari?,  and  he  u]ihol(ls 
it  feehly,  and  hy  this  time,  ])rol)a1)ly,  has  renounced  it. 

"I  doulit  if  the  organ  of  the  torpedo  is  analogous  to  the  pile 
of  Volta.  I  have  not  been  able  to  gain  any  chenncal  effects 
by  the  shock  sent  through  water  ;  but  1  tried  on  small  and  not 
very  active  animals.  I  shall  resume  the  im^niiy  at  Naples,  when; 
1  hope  to  be  about  the  nuddle  of  May.  In  my  journey  I  met 
with  no  ditfieulties  of  any  kind,  and  received  every  attention 
from  the  scientific  men  of  Paris,  and  the  most  liberal  i)ermission 
to  go  where  I  pleased  from  the  government. 

"  I  lived  very  much  with  Pertliollet,  (Juvier,  C'hajttal,  Yamiuelin, 
Humboldt,  Morveau,  Clement,  Chevreul,  and  Gay  Lussac.  They 
were  all  kind  and  attentive  to  me  ;  and,  except  for  Gay  Lussac's 
last  turn  of  ]>ulili.shing  without  acknowledgement  what  he  had 
first  learnt  from  me,  1  should  ha\e  had  nothing  to  complain  of  ; 
but  who  can  control  self  dove  ? 

"  It  ought  not  to  interfere  with  truth  and  justice  ;  but  I  will 
not  moralise  nor  complain.  Iodine  is  as  useful  an  ally  to  me  as 
I  could  have  found  at  home." 

At  Florence  he  Avorked  in  the  laboratory  of  the 
Accadeinia  del  Cimento  on  iodine  and  on  the  diamond. 
The  results  of  his  work  on  iodine  he  embodied  in  a 
paper  read  to  the  Royal  Society  on  June  IGth,  1814, 
which  deals  mainlj'^  with  the  iodates,  or,  as  he  preferred 
to  call  them,  the  oxyiodes.  The  object  of  his  work 
on  the  diamond  was  to  determine  whether  any  peculiar 
matter  separated  from  it  during  its  combustion,  and 
Avhether  the  gas  formed  in  the  process  was  precisely 
the  same  in  its  chemical  nature  as  that  produced  by 
the  combustion  of  plumbago  and  charcoal.  At  Florence 
he  made  use  of  the  great  burning-glass  originally 
employed  in  the  trials  on  the  action  of  solar  heat  on 
the  diamond  instituted  by  Cosmo  III.,  Grand  Duke  of 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  185 

Tuscany  ;  he  completed  the  research  in  the  laboratory 
of  the  Accademia  del  Lincei  at  Rome. 

From  the  results  of  his  different  experiments,  which 
were  communicated  to  the  Royal  Society  on  June  23rd, 
1814,  it  appeared  that  the  diamond  atibrds  no  other 
substance  by  its  combustion  in  oxygen  than  pure 
carbonic  acid  gas,  and  that  the  onl}'  chemical  difference 
perceptible  between  diamond  and  the  purest  charcoal 
is  that  the  latter  contains  a  minute  proportion  of 
hydrogen.  "  But,"  he  asks,  "  can  a  quantity  of  an 
element,  less  in  some  cases  than  ^o^oo  P^i't  of  the 
Aveio'ht  of  the  substance,  occasion  so  great  a  difference 
in  physical  and  chemical  characters  ? "  This  he  con- 
cludes is  most  unlikely,  for,  as  he  points  out,  even 
when  the  minute  quantity  of  hydrogen  is  expelled  by 
heating  the  charcoal  in  chlorine,  the  specific  differences 
remain. 

The  doctrine  at  that  time  current,  and  Avhich  seemed 
indeed  almost  axiomatic,  "  That  bodies  cannot  be 
exactly  the  same  in  composition  or  chemical  nature,  and 
yet  totally  different  in  all  their  physical  properties," 
received  its  first  great  shock.  Davy's  work,  no  doubt, 
paved  the  way  for  the  recognition  of  the  fact  of  allo- 
tropy,  and  thereafter  of  isomerism. 

In  May  he  went  to  Naples  and  made  his  first  ascent 
of  Vesuvius,  which  he  revisited  on  several  subsequent 
journeys.  He  conunissioned  one  of  the  guides  to  inform 
him  from  time  to  time  of  the  condition  of  the  volcano, 
and  the  man's  letters,  in  spite  of  their  phonetic  address 
— "  Siromfredevi  -  Londra  " — duly  found  their  way  to 
Albemarle  Street.  He  also  interested  himself  in  the 
excavations  at  Pompeii  instituted  by  direction  of  Murat, 
then  King  of  Naples,  and  he  performed  a  number  of 
experiments  on    the    colours    used  b}'   the   ancients  in 


180  HUMriinv  daw, 

painting,  an  acconnt  of  which  was  comnumicatcd  to 
the  Royal  Society  on  February  2:^r(l,  1815. 

He  then  passed  northwards  Avith  tlio  intention  of 
spending  the  sunnner  at  Geneva.  On  his  way  he  called 
at  Milan  to  ])ay  his  respects  to  Volta.  Of  this  visit  he 
wrote  :— 

"Volta  I  saw  at  jNIilaii,  in  ISU,  at  that  tiiiu'  advanced  in 
years,— 1  tliink  nearly  .seventy  and  in  bad  liealtli.  Ills  eonversa- 
tion  was  not  brilliant ;  his  views  ratlicr  limited,  Imt  niarkini^.^reat 
ingenuity.  His  manners  were  perfectly  simple.  He  had  not  the 
air  of  a  courtier,  or  even  of  a  man  w1io  had  seen  tlic  world." 

If  l>r.  Taris's  story  is  to  be  credited,  the  lack  of 
brilliancy  in  the  conversation  of  the  great  Italian 
physicist  may  be  attributed  to  the  circumstances  of  this 
meeting.  Davy,  we  are  told,  had  written  to  announce 
his  intended  visit,  and  on  the  appointed  day  and  hour 
Volta,  in  full  dress,  awaited  his  arrival, 

"On  the  entrance  of  the  great  English  philosopher  into  the 
apartment,  not  only  in  dhhahilJe,  but  in  a  dress  of  which  an 
English  artisan  would  have  been  ashamed,  Volta  started  back  in 
astonishment,  and  such  was  the  efliect  of  his  surprise,  that  he  was 
for  some  time  unable  to  address  him." 

The  party  remained  at  Geneva  until  the  middle  of 
September,  partaking  freely  of  the  intellectual  life  Avhich 
that  charming  city  afforded.  Here  he  met  Saussure 
Pictet,  De  la  Rive,  Madame  de  Stai-l,  Benjamin  Constant, 
Necker,  and  Talma,  whose  society  he  greatly  enjoyed. 
With  the  approach  of  winter  he  returned  to  Italy  via 
the  Brenner  and  Venice,  and  on  November  2nd  arrived 
at  Rome,  where  he  remained  until  March  1st,  1815, 
occupying  himself  Avith  his  incpiiry  into  the  composition 
of  ancient  colours.  In  this  he  Avas  greatly  assisted  by  the 
kindness  of  his  friend  Canova,  the  celebrated  sculptor,  Avho 
was  then  charged  Avith  the  care  of  the  Avorks  connected 


POET   AND    PHILOSOPHER.  187 

with  ancient  art  in  Rome,  and  avIio  supplied  him  with 
material  from  the  colours  found  in  the  Baths  of  Titus  and 
of  Li  via,  and  other  palaces  and  baths  of  ancient  Rome 
and  Pompeii.  Davy's  memoir,  which  appears  in  the 
Philosophical  Trausactioiis  for  1815,  displa3^s  consider- 
able antiquarian  and  bibliographical  research,  and,  con- 
sidering his  limited  means,  much  analytical  skill  and 
ingenuit3^  The  ancient  reds  he  found  to  consist  of 
minium,  several  varieties  of  iron  ochre,  and  vermilion 
or  cinnabar.  The  yellows  were  mixtures  of  ochres  and 
chalks,  or  of  ochre  with  minium.  He  Avas  unable  to 
discover  that  orpiment  was  used ;  a  deep  orange  yelloAv 
on  stucco  in  the  ruins  near  the  monument  of  Cains 
Cestius  consisted  of  a  mixture  of  massicot  and  minium. 
The  blues  were  mainly  mixtures  of  the  Egyptian  or 
Alexandrine  blue,  with  more  or  less  chalk.  This 
Egyptian  blue,  he  found,  was  a  frit,  made  by  heating 
soda,  sand,  and  copper,  either  used  as  an  ore  or  as  metal. 
He  gives  a  method  of  making  it,  and  speaks  highly  of 
its  permanence  and  beauty.  The  greens  were,  as  a  rule, 
com])ounds  of  copper.  The  exact  nature  of  the  purples 
he  was  unable  to  determine ;  they  were  probabl}'  organic, 
but  whether  obtained  from  shell-fish  or  madder  could 
not  be  ascertained.  The  purplish  reds  in  the  Baths  of 
Titus  were  found  to  be  mixtures  of  red  ochres,  and  the 
blues  were  copper  compounds.  The  blacks  and  browns 
were  mixtures  of  carbonaceous  matter  with  oxides  of 
iron  or  manganese.  The  whites  were  mainly  chalk,  or 
occasionally  clay  ;  cerusse,  or  white-lead,  was  apparently 
not  used. 

Before  leaving  Italy  he  again  went  to  Naples,  for 
the  purpose  of  witnessing  Vesuvius  in  eruption,  and  on 
several  occasions  he  Avas  as  near  the  crater  as  he  could 
get.     He  left  Naples  on  March  21st,  and  came  home  by 


ISS  HUMIMIHV     DAVY, 

way  ot  \'crona,  Innsbruck,  Ulni,  Stuttti^art,  Heidelberg, 
and  the  Rhine,  arriving  in  London  April  23rd,  1815.  A 
few  d»5's  after  his  arrival  he  wrote  to  his  mother  : — 

"  We  have  liatl  a  very  agreeable  and  instructive  journey  and 
Lady  Davy  ajjrees  with  ine  in  thinking;-  that  England  is  the  only 
country  to  liiw  in,  however  interesting  it  may  be  to  see  other 
countries. 

"  1  yesterday  bought  a  good  house  in  Grosvenor  Street,  and  we 
shall  sit  down  in  this  hajtity  land. 

"  I  beg  you  to  give  my  l)est  and  kindest  love  to  my  sisters,  and 
to  remember  me  with  all  affection  to  my  aunts." 

Faraday  was  again  engaged  as  assistant  in  the 
laborator}'  of  the  Ro3\al  Institution  and  superintendent 
of  the  apparatus  (at  a  salary  of  80s.  a  Aveek),  and  was 
accommodated  Avith  apartments  at  the  top  of  the  house. 

In  Dr.  Bence  Jones's  "  Life  of  Faraday "  we  have 
more  detailed  information  concerning  this  tour,  derived 
from  the  journal  which  Faraday  kept  Avhilst  ho  was 
abroad.  Faraday  describes  in  considerable  detail  the 
life  in  Paris  and  the  work  on  Iodine  ;  we  have  accounts 
of  Chevreul's  laboratory  at  the  Jardin  des  PL^.ntes,  and 
of  Gay  Lussac's  lectures  at  the  Ecole  Polytechnique  ;  of 
the  work  on  the  torpedo  at  Genoa ;  of  the  combustion 
of  the  diamond  at  the  Accademia  del  Cimento,  and  a 
description  of  the  great  burning-glass,  and  hoAV  it  Avas 
actually  employed  ;  of  the  experiments  of  ]\Iorichini  on 
the  alleged  magnetisation  of  a  needle  by  the  solar  rays ; 
of  his  meeting  Volta — "  an  hale,  elderly  man,  bearing 
the  red  ribbon,  and  very  free  in  conversation " ;  of  the 
Avork  at  Rome  on  chlorous  oxide  and  iodic  acid,  and  on 
the  pigments  employed  bj'  the  ancients. 

"  The  constant  presence  of  Sir  Humphry  Davy,"  Avrote  Faraday 
to  his  friend  Abbott,  "  is  a  mine  inexhaustible  of  knowledge  aud 
improvement."    But  he  adds  :    "  I  have  several  times  been  more 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  189 

than  half  decided  to  return  hastily  home  ;  but  second  thoughts 
have  still  induced  me  to  try  what  the  future  may  produce.  .  . 
the  glorious  opportunities  I  enjoy  of  imiiroving  in  the  knowledge  of 
chemistry  and  the  sciences  continually  determine  me  to  finish 
this  voyage  with  Sir  H.  D.  But  if  I  wish  to  enjoy  these  advan- 
tages I  have  to  sacrifice  much,  and  though  these  sacrifices  are 
such  as  an  humble  man  would  not  feel,  yet  I  cannot  quietly  make 
them." 

Faraday's  troubles  arose  from  his  anomalous  position 
in  the  party.  When  Davy  elected  to  go  abroad,  he 
arranged  to  take  his  valet  with  him;  but  at  the  eleventh 
hour  this  man,  moved  by  the  tears  of  his  wife — to  whom 
the  "  Corsican  Ogre  "  was  a  kind  of  bogey — refused  to 
proceed.  "  When  Sir  H.  informed  me  of  this  circum- 
stance," says  Faraday,  "he  expressed  his  sorrow  at  it, 
and  said — that  if  I  Avould  put  up  with  a  few  things  on 
the  road  until  he  got  to  Paris,  doing  those  things  Avhich 
could  not  be  trusted  to  strangers  or  waiters  ...  he 
would  get  a  servant.  ...  At  Paris  he  could  find  no 
servant  to  suit  him,"  nor  was  he  more  successful  at 
Montpellier  or  at  Genoa.  It  was,  doubtless,  difficult  at 
this  period  to  find  a  man  in  such  places  who  understood 
English  and  was  in  other  respects  suitable.  Faraday 
goes  on  to  say  : — 

"  Sir  Humphry  has  at  all  times  endeavoured  to  keep  me  from 
the  performance  of  those  things  v»hich  did  not  form  a  part  of 
my  duty,  and  which  might  be  disagreeable.  ...  I  should 
have  but  little  to  complain  of,  were  I  travelling  with  Sir 
Humphry  alone,  or  were  Lady  Davy  like  him  ;  but  her  temper 
makes  it  oftentimes  go  wrong  with  me,  with  herself  and  with 
SirH.    .    . 

"  She  likes  to  show  her  authority,  and  at  first  I  found  her 
extremely  earnest  in  mortifying  mc.  This  occasioned  quarrels 
between  us,  at  each  of  which  I  gained  ground  and  she  lost  it ;  for 
the  frequency  made  me  care  nothing  about  them,  and  weakened 
her  authority,  and  after  each  she  behaved  in  a  milder  manner." 


190  HUMl'llKY    DAW, 

Hi)\v  Davy  and  his  wife  appeared  U)  the  world  at 
this  time  may  be  seen  from  the  following  extracts  from 
Tioknor's  Life : — 

"  1815.  June  13.— I  break fa.^tod  tlii.s  inoining  with  Sir  H. 
Diivy,  of  whom  we  have  heard  so  nnich  in  America.  He  is  now 
about  thirty-tlirec  [!io  wa.';  actually  thirty-.sineu],  but  with  all  the 
freshness  and  IJooni  of  twunty-tive,  and  one  of  the  handsomest  men 
I  have  seen  in  England.  He  has  a  great  deal  of  vivacity — talks 
rapidly,  though  with  great  precision— and  is  .so  much  intere.sted  in 
conversation  that  his  excitement  amounts  to  nervous  impatience, 
and  keeps  him  in  constant  motion.  He  has  just  returned  from 
Italy,  and  delights  to  talk  of  it ;  thinks  it,  next  to  England,  the 
finest  country  in  the  world,  and  the  society  of  Rome  surpassed  only 
by  that  of  London,  and  says  he  should  Jiot  die  contented  without 
going  there  again." 

"  1.")  June. — As  her  husband  had  invited  me  to  do,  I  called  this 
morning  on  Lady  Davy.  I  found  her  in  her  parlour,  working  on 
a  dress,  the  contents  of  her  basket  strewed  about  the  table,  and 
looking  more  like  ht)me  than  anything  since  I  left  it.  She  is 
small,  with  black  eyes  and  hair  and  a  very  pleasant  face,  an  un- 
commonly sweet  smile ;  and  when  she  speaks  has  much  spirit 
and  expression  in  her  countenance.  Her  conversation  is  agreeable, 
particularly  in  the  choice  and  variety  of  her  phraseology,  and  has 
more  the  air  of  eloquence  than  I  have  ever  heard  before  from  a 
lady.  But,  then,  it  has  something  of  the  appearance  of  formality 
and  display,  which  injures  conversation.  Her  manner  is  gracious 
and  elegant ;  and  though  I  should  not  think  of  comparing  her  to 
Corinne  yet  I  think  she  has  uncommon  powers." 

In  Henry  Crabb  Robinson's  Diary  we  read,  under 
date  May  31st,  1813:— 

"  Dined  with  Wordsworth  at  Mr.  Carr's.  Sir  Humphry 
and  Lady  Davy  there.  She  and  Sir  H.  seem  to  have  hardly 
finished  their  honeymoon.  iSliss  Joanna  Baillie  said  to  Words- 
worth, '  We  have  witnessed  a  picturesque  happiness.' " 

In  1815  it  was  very  evident  the  honeymoon  had 
waned  and  that   the  picturesque  happiness  was  at   an 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  191 

end.  However  fitted  her  ladyship  might  be  to  shine  in 
salons,  at  routs  and  fashionable  gatherings,  she  lacked 
the  homelier,  kindlier  charms  which  grace  the  phicens 
uxor.  An  accomplished  woman,  of  fastidious  taste,  fond 
of  study,  upright  in  her  dealings,  and  charitable  to  the 
poor,  she  was  withal  cold  and  unsympathetic,  self-willed 
and  independent,  "  fitted  to  excite  admiration  rather 
than  love,  and  neither  by  nature  happy  in  herself, 
or  qualified  to  impart,  in  the  best  sense  of  the  term, 
happiness  to  others."  Such  is  the  character  given  of 
her  by  Dr.  Davy ;  and  he  adds,  "  There  was  an  over- 
sight, if  not  a  delusion,  as  to  the  fitness  of  their  union  "  ; 
and  "  it  might  have  been  better  for  both  if  they  had 
never  met."  It  was,  no  doubt,  from  the  fulness  of  his 
own  experience  that  Davy  once  wrote  to  a  friend : — 

"  Upon  points  of  affection  it  is  only  for  tlie  parties  themselves 
to  form  just  opinions  of  what  is  really  necessary  to  ensure  the 
felicity  of  the  marriage  state.  Riches  appear  to  me  not  at  all 
necessary,  but  competence,  I  think  is  ;  and  after  this  more 
depends  upon  the  temper  of  the  individual  than  upon  personal,  or 
even  intellectual  circumstances.  The  finest  spirits,  the  most 
exquisite  Avine.s,  the  nectars  and  ambrosias  of  modern  tables,  will 
be  all  spoilt  by  a  few  drops  of  bitter  extract  ;  and  a  bad  temper  has 
the  .same  effect  in  life,  which  is  made  up,  not  of  great  sacrifices  or 
duties,  but  of  little  things,  in  which  smiles  and  kindness,  and 
small  obligations  given  habitually,  are  what  win  and  preserve  the 
heart,  and  secure  comfort." 


192 


CHAi'TEU   X. 

THE    SAFETY    LAMP. 

Suuiiii.v  after  J  hivy's  rut iiin  tu  England  his  sympathy 
was  cnlistetl  in  a  cause  which  enabled  hiui  to  display 
all  the  attributes  of  his  genius,  and  to  achieve  a  triumph 
wliich,  while  greatly  enhancing  his  popular  reputation, 

/^added  no  little  to  his  scientific  fame.  To  show  him  how 
he  mi'dit  be  useful,  was  at  all  times  a  certain  method 
of  securing  his  interest ;  for,  like  Lavoisier,  he  was  even 
more  the  friend  of  humanity  than  of  science,  and  to 
make  science  serviceable  to  humanity  Avas,  he  considered, 

[j,hc  highest  object  of  his  calling. 

During  the  early  years  of  this  century  the  country 
was  rei)catedly  shocked  by  the  occurrence  of  a  succession 
of  disastrous  colliery  explosions,  especially  in.  the  north 
of  England,  attended  by  great  destruction  of  life  and 
property  and  widespread  misery  and  destitution.  The 
development  of  our  iron-trade,  the  improvements  in 
the  steam-engine,  and  the  more  general  application  of 
machinery  to  industi-y  had  greatly  stimulated  the  opening 
out  of  our  coal-fields  ;  and  the  working  of  coal  Avas  being 
extended  with  a  rapidity  that  greatly  aggravated  the 
evils  and  dangers  at  all  times  inseparable  from  it.  In 
the  early  days  of  coal-getting,  when  the  pits  were  shallow 
imd  the  workings  comparatively  near  the  shafts,  fire- 
damp, although  not  unheard  of,  was  little  dreaded,  and 
explosions  were  rare — so  rare,  indeed,  that  when  they 
occurred  they  Avere  thought  \vorthy  of  mention  in  the 
Pldlosophical  Transactions  of  the  Royal  Society.  As 
the  pits  became  deeper,  and  the  Avays  more  extended, 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  193 

explosions  became  more  frequent,  and  at  times  it  was 
impossible  to  work  the  coal,  owing  to  the  accumulation 
of  fire-damp  and  its  liability  to  "  tire "  at  the  candles 
of  the  miners.  In  1732  attempts  were  first  made  to 
ventilate  the  pits  b}'  "  fire-lamps  "  or  furnaces,  and  by 
mechanical  means,  so  as  to  sweep  out  the  "sulphur"  by 
means  of  fresh  air.  Carlisle  Spedding,  a  little  later, 
invented  the  steel  mill — a  contrivance  by  which  a  disc 
of  steel  was  caused  to  revolve  against  a  piece  of  flint, 
so  as  to  throw  off  a  shower  of  sparks  sufficiently  luminous 
to  enable  the  miner  to  carry  on  his  business. 

In  spite  of  the  "  spark-emitting  wheel,"  and  of  the 
systems  of  ventilation  introduced  by  Ryan,  James 
Spedding,  John  Buddie,  and  others,  "  the  swart  demon 
of  the  mine "  grew  more  and  more  formidable,  and 
demanded  a  greater  number  of  victims  every  year. 
Mechanical  science  would  appear  to  have  spent  itself, 
and  the  mining  world  was  gradually  coming  to  look 
upon  fire-damp  with  the  fatalism  with  Avhich  ignorant 
and  superstitious  people  regard  the  plague.  Some 
of  the  great  coal  owners — powerless  to  do  more,  but 
afraid  of  the  rising  tide  of  public  opinion — used  their 
influence  with  the  newspapers  to  suppress  all  allusion 
to  these  calamities.  But  many  persons,  especially  the 
physicians  and  clergymen  in  the  mining  districts,  who 
were  witnesses  of  the  suffering  and  distress  which  the 
"  firing "  of  a  mine  occasioned,  kept  public  attention 
alive  by  means  of  pamphlets  and  letters  and  notices  to 
such  journals  as  would  insert  their  communications. 
One  colliery — the  Brandling  Main  or  Felling  Colliery, 
near  Gateshead  -  on  -  Tync  —  acquired  an  unenviable 
notoriety  from  the  frequency  with  which  it  fired.  On 
May  25th,  1812,  an  explosion  occurred  which  killed 
ninety -two  men  and  boys.     No  calamity  of  such  magni-- 

M 


H)4  IIL'MI'IIUV    DAVY, 

tudc  had  ever  lia|)})cned  before  in  a  coal  mine.  Eighteen 
months  afterwards  a  second  explosion  took  place  by 
which  twenty-throe  lives  were  lost.  In  the  following 
3'ear  explosions  occurred  at  Percy  Main,  Hebbnrn,  and 
Seatiold.  In  June,  1815,  Newbottle  Colliery  exploded 
Avitli  the  loss  of  tifty-seven  men  and  boys,  and  this 
was  inunediately  followed  by  a  similar  disaster  at 
Sheriti"  Hill.  The  Rev.  ^Ir.  Hodgson— the  historian  of 
Northumberland— in  whose  parish  the  Brandling  Main 
Avas  situated,  published  a  particular  account  of  the  first 
Felling  Colliery  Explosion.  This  was  widely  circulated, 
and  ultimately  found  its  way  into  Thomson's  Annals 
of  Fhilosojyhy,  which  continued  to  print  accounts  of 
similar  accidents  as  they  occurred.  At  length  Mr.  J.  J. 
Wilkinson,  a  barrister  resident  in  the  Temple,  suggested 
the  formation  of  a  society  to  investigate  the  whole 
subject  and  to  seek  for  remedies.  The  Bishop  of 
Durham  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gray,  afterwards  Bishop  of 
Bristol,  but  then  Rector  of  Bishopwearmouth,  led  the 
way,  and  ultimately  the  society  was  instituted  on  October 
1st,  1813,  with  Sir  Ralph  Millbanke,  afterwards  Sir  Ralph 
Noel,  as  President.  Its  first  report  contains  a  letter 
from  Mr.  John  Buddie,  the  great  authority  on  the 
ventilation  of  coal  mines,  in  which  he  expresses  his 
conviction  that  mechanical  agencies  are  practicall}^ 
powerless  to  prevent  explosions  in  mines  subjected  to 
sudden  bursts  of  fire-damp,  and  he  concludes 

"  that  the  hopes  of  this  society  ever  seeing  its  most  desirable 
object  accomplished  must  rest  upon  the  event  of  some  method 
being  discovered  of  producing  such  a  chemical  change  upon 
carburettcd  hydrogen  gas  as  to  render  it  innoxious  as  fast  as  it  is 
discharged,  or  as  it  approaches  the  neighbourhood  of  lights.  In 
this  view  of  the  subject,  it  is  to  scientific  men  only  that  we  must 
look  up  for  assistance  in  providing  a  cheap  and  effectual 
remedy." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  195 

The  society  received  a  number  of  suggestions,  for  the 
niost  part  wholly  impracticable,  and  generally  of  the 
character  of  that  of  Dr.  Trotter,  who  proposed  to  flood 
the  mines  Avith  chlorine.  A  variety  of  air-tight  or  in- 
sulated lamps  were  suggested  by  Clanny,  Brandling, 
^lurray,  and  others,  much  on  the  same  lines  as  that 
devised  by  Humboldt,  but  none  of  them  appears  to  have 
been  seriously  tried. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  was  decided  to  ask  for 

the   co-operation   of  Davy,   and   Avith    that   object   Mr. 

Wilkinson  called  upon  him  at  the  Roj'al  Institution,  in 

the  autumn  of  1813,  but  found  he  had  left  for  Paris. 

A  few  months  after  his  return  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gray  wrote 

to  him  on  the  subject,  and  received  the  following  letter 

in  reply  : — 

"Auffust3,  1815. 


"  It  will  give  me  great  satisfaction  if  my  chemical  know- 
ledge can  be  of  any  use  in  an  enquiry  so  interesting  to  humanity, 
and  I  beg  you  will  assure  the  committee  of  my  readiness  to 
co-operate  with  them  in  any  experiments  or  investigations  on  the 
subject. 

"  If  you  think  my  visiting  the  mines  can  be  of  any  use,  I  will 
cheerfully  do  so. 

"I  shall  be  here  ten  days  longer,  and  on  my  return  South, 
will  visit  any  place  you  will  be  kind  enough  to  point  out  to 
me,  where  I  may  be  able  to  acquire  information  on  the  subject 
of  coal  gas." 

Dr.  Gray,  in  reply,  referred  him  to  Mr.  John  Buddie, 
of  the  Wallsend  Colliery. 

On  August  24th,  1815,  Mr.  Buddie  wrote  to  Dr. 
Gray : — 

"  Permit  me  to  offer  my  best  acknowledgments  for  the  oppor- 
tunity which  your  attention  to  the  cause  of  humanity  has  afforded 
me  of  being  introduced  to  Sir  Humphry  Davy. 
M  2 


1!)()  IIUMI'IIKV    DAW, 

"  I  was  this  morning  favoured  with  a  call  from  him,  and  he 
was  acconij>anied  hy  the  l\ev.  Mr.  Hodgson,  lie  made  jiarticular 
eii(|iiirirs  into  tlu'  nature  v\'  the  danger  arising  from  the  discharge 
of  the  intlainmable  gas  in  our  mines.  1  shall  supjily  him  with  a 
quantity  of  the  gas  to  analyze ;  and  he  has  given  me  reason  to 
expect  that  a  substitute  may  be  found  for  the  steel  mill,  which 
will  not  hre  tlie  gas.  He  seems  also  to  think  it  possible  to 
generate  a  gas,  at  a  moderate  expense,  which,  by  mixing  with  the 
atmospheric  current,  will  so  far  neutralise  the  intlannnable  air,  as 
til  prevent  it  tiring  at  the  candles  of  the  workmen. 

"If  he  should  be  .so  fortunate  as  to  succeed  in  either  the  one 
or  the  other  of  these  jioints,  he  will  render  tlie  most  essential 
benefit  to  the  mining  interest  of  this  country,  and  to  the  cause  of 
humanity  in  ])articular." 

After  spending  a  few  days  in  the  district  Avith  Mr. 
Hodgson  and  Dr.  Gray,  in  the  course  of  which  he  saw 
and  experimented  with  Dr.  Clanny's  lamp,  he  went  on  a 
round  of  visits  in  Durham  and  Yorkshire,  and  arrived 
in  London  at  the  end  of  September.  Early  in  October 
a  quantity  of  tire-damp  was  sent  to  him  by  Mr.  Hodgson, 
the  receipt  of  which  he  acknowledged  on  the  15th, 
saying  :— 

"  My  experiments  are  going  on  successfully  and  I  hope  in  a 
few  days  to  send  you  an  account  of  them ;  I  am  going  to  be 
fortunate  far  beyond  my  expectations." 

Four  days  afterwards  he  again  wrote  to  Mr.  Hodgson 
stating  that  he  had  discovered 

"  that  explosive  mixtures  of  mine-damp  will  not  pass  through 
small  apertures  or  tubes  ;  and  that  if  a  lamp  or  lanthorn  be  made 
air-tight  on  the  sides,  and  furnished  with  apertures  to  admit  the 
air,  it  will  not  communicate  flame  to  the  outward  atmosphere." 

On  the  25th  October  he  gave  an  account  of  his  work 
to  the  Chemical  Club.  On  October  30th  he  wrote  to 
Dr.  Gray  and  to  Mr,  Hodgson,  giving  a  description  of 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  ^        191^ 

three  forms  of  safe  lamps.     His  letter  to  Dr.  Gray  was 
as  follows : — 

"As  it  was  the  consequence  of  your  invitation  that  I  en- 
deavoured to  investigate  the  nature  of  the  fire-damp,  I  owe  to 
you  tlie  first  notice  of  the  progress  of  my  experiments. 

"  My  results  have  been  successful  far  beyond  my  expectations. 
I  shall  enclose  a  little  sketch  of  my  views  on  the  subject ;  and  I 
hope  in  a  few  days  to  be  able  to  send  a  paper  with  the  apparatus 
for  the  committee.  I  trust  the  sa/e  lamp  Avill  answer  all  the 
objects  of  the  collier. 

"  I  consider  this  at  present  as  a  private  communication.  I 
wish  you  to  examine  the  lamps  I  have  had  constructed,  before  you 
give  any  account  of  my  labours  to  the  committee. 

"  I  have  never  received  so  much  pleasure  from  the  result  of 
any  of  my  chemical  labours;  for  I  trust  the  cause  of  humanity 
will  gain  something  by  it."  — 

Mr.  Hodgson's  letter  was  shown  to  several  persons, 
and  appears  to  have  been  copied  by  some,  on  or  about 
November  2nd,  and  an  extract  from  it  appeared  in 
Dunn's  "  View  of  the  Coal  Trade." 

On  November  9th  Davy  read  his  first  paper  on  the 
subject  before  the  Royal  Society ;  it  Avas  entitled  "  On 
the  tire-damp  of  coal  mines,  and  on  the  methods  of  light- 
ing the  mines  so  as  to  prevent  its  explosion."  After  de- 
scribing the  manner  in  which  his  attention  had  been 
specially  called  to  the  subject,  he  states  that  he  first 
made  experiments  with  a  variety  of  phosphori  (Kunckel's, 
Canton's,  and  Baldwin's),  and  also  with  the  electrical 
light  in  close  vessels,  in  the  hope  that  they  might  be 
found  to  aftbrd  the  requisite  amount  of  illumination  ;  but 
the  results  were  not  encourayins'. 

After  an  account  of  the  chemical  characters  of  the 
lire-damp  sent  to  him  by  Mr.  Hodgson,  he  describes  the 
results  of  experiments  on  its  combustibility  and  explosive 
nature,  and  on  the  degree  of  heat  required  to  explode  it 


lOS  HUMPHRY   DAVY, 

when  mixed  with  air.  In  respect  of  its  coinbustibiHty 
tire-diuup  was  foiiiul  to  differ  most  inateriall}'^  from  the 
other  common  intlammable  gases  in  that  it  required  a 
far  lii^dier  temperature  to  effect  its  inflanmiation  or 
explosion.  Moreover,  it  was  found  that  the  flame  formed 
by  the  union  of  air  and  tire-damp  would  not  pass  through 
tubes  of  a  certain  minimum  diameter; 

"  nil  J  in  coiiipaiiiig  the  power  nt'  tulies  of  metal  and  those  of 
glass,  it  api)eared  that  the  tlame  i)assed  more  rendily  through  glass 
tubes  of  the  same  diameter  ;  and  that  exi)losions  were  stopped  by 
metallic  tubes  of  one-fifth  of  an  inch  w  lien  they  were  an  inch  and 
a  half  long  ;  and  this  phenomenon  i)rol)ably  depends  upon  the 
heat  lost  during  the  explosion  in  contact  with  so  great  a  cooling 
surface,  which  brings  the  temperature  of  the  first  portions  exploded 
below  that  required  for  the  firing  of  the  other  portions.  Metal  is  a 
better  conductor  of  heat  than  glass  ;  and  it  has  been  already  shown 
that  fire-damp  requires  a  very  strong  heat  for  its  inflammation.'' 

The  observation  that  mixtures  of  air  and  coal-gas  woidd 
not  explode  in  very  narrow  tubes  had  been  previously 
made,  unknown  to  Davy,  by  Wollaston  and  Tennant. 
Davy  likewise  found  that  explosions  Avould  not  pass 
through  very  fine  Avire  sieves  or  wire  gauze.  He  also 
noted  that  an  admixture  of  carbonic  acid  and  nitrogen, 
even  in  small  proportions,  with  explosive  mixtures  of  tire- 
damp  greatly  diminished  the  velocity  of  the  inflammation. 

".  .  .  It  is  evident  then,  that  to  prevent  explosions  in 
coal  mines  it  is  only  necessary  to  use  air-tight  lanterns,  supi)lied 
with  air  from  tubes  or  canals  of  small  diameter,  or  from  apertures 
covered  with  wire-gauze  placed  below  the  flame,  through  Avliich 
explosions  cannot  be  communicated  and  having  a  chimney  at 
the  upper  part,  as  a  similar  system  for  carrying  ott"  the  foul  air  ; 
and  common  lanterns  may  be  easily  adapted  to  the  purpose  by 
being  made  air-tight  in  the  door  and  sides,  by  being  furnished 
with  tlie  chimney  and  the  system  of  safety  apertures  below  and 
aViove.  The  princi])le  being  known,  it  is  easy  to  adapt  and 
multiply  i)ractical  applications  of  it."' 


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200 


HUMPHRY    DAVY, 


]\c  tlien  devised  ;i  iiiunber  of  laiiipson  this  principle, 
and  sultjectcd  theni  to  trial  with  explosive  niixtnrcs  in 
various  ways.  The  plate  on  page  1 99,  copied  from  the 
original  paper  in  the  Plt'domphical  Transactionn,  shows 
the  successive  forms  through  which  the 
lamps  passed. 

On  January  IJth,  1810,  he  read  a 
second  paper  to  the  Royal  Society, 
entitled,  "  An  account  of  an  invention 
for  giving  light  in  explosive  mixtures  of 
tire-damp  in  coal  mines  by  consuming 
the  fire-damp,"  in  which  he  shows  that 
the  tubes  or  canals  as  well  as  the  sides 
of  the  lanterns  may  be  replaced  by 
cages  or  c^dinders  of  wire  gauze.  The 
inflammable  mixture  will  readily  pass 
through  the  meshes  of  the  sfauze  and 
will  burn  within  it,  filling  the  cylinder 
with  a  bright  flame,  but  no  explosion 
will  pass  outwards,  even  although  the 
wire  becomes  heated  to  redness. 

A  fortnight  later  he  read  a  third 
paper  to  the  Society,  "  On  the  Com- 
bustion of  Explosive  Mixtures  confined 
by  Wire  Gauze,  with  some  Observations 
on  Flame,"  in  which  he  gives  the  results 
of  further  inquiries  respecting  the  limits 
of  the  size  of  the  apertures,  and  of  the  wire  in  the 
metallic  gauze  required  to  shield  the  Hame  of  an  oil- 
lamp,  and  describes  a  number  of  illustrations  of  the 
action  of  the  gauze  in  lowering  the  temperature  of  the 
explosive  mixture  below  the  point  of  ignition.  Some  ot 
these  illustrations  are  now  among  the  stock  experiments 
of  the   lecture   theatre.     He    offers   some   observations 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  201 

concerning  the  essential  nature  of  Hame,  and  concludes 
by  informing  the  Society  that  his  "cylinder  lamps 
[i.e.  lamps  of  which  the  flames  are  enclosed  within  a 
cylinder  of  gauze:  see  Fig.  11,  p.  199]  have  been  tried 
in  two  of  the  most  dangerous  mines  near  Newcastle 
with  perfect  success." 

The  form  which  the  lamp  finally  took  in  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Newman,  the  instrument-maker,  is  seen  on  p.  200. 

The  trials  above  referred  to  w^ere  first  made  by 
Mr.  Matthias  Dunn  and  the  indefatigable  Mr.  Hodgson 
in  the  Hebburn  Colliery,  and  shortly  afterwards  by  Mr. 
John  Buddie  in  the  Wall's  End  Colliery.  Mr.  Buddie  has 
placed  on  record  his  impressions  of  his  first  experience. 

"  I  first  tried  it,"  he  say.s,  "  in  an  explosive  mixture  on  the 
surface ;  and  then  took  it  into  a  mine  ;  ...  it  is  impossible 
for  me  to  express  my  feelings  at  the  time  when  I  first  suspended 
the  lamp  in  the  mine  and  saw  it  red  hot.  ...  1  said  to  those 
around  me  '  We  have  at  last  subdued  this  monster.'" 

Some  months  afterwards  Davy  accompanied  Mr. 
Buddie  into  the  pit  and  saw  his  lamp  in  actual  use. 

"Sir  Humphry  was  delighted,"  says  Mr.  Buddie,  "and  1  was 
overwhelmed  with  feelings  of  gratitude  to  that  great  genius  which 
had  produced  it." 

Further  testimony  of  Mr.  Buddie's  appreciation  of 
this  memorable  invention  may  be  seen  from  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  by  him  to  Davy.  It  is  not  only 
interesting  in  view  of  Davy's  remark  that  "  the  evidence 
of  the  use  of  a  practical  discovery  is  of  most  value  when 
furnished  by  practical  men,"  but  also  as  showing  the 
rapidity  with  which  the  discovery  was  taken  advan- 
tage of: — 

"Walls  End  Colliery,  Newcastle,  June  1st,  1816. 

"  After  having  introduced  your  safety  lamp  into  general  use 
in  all  the  collieries  under  my  direction,  where  inHamm;il>le  air 


202  HUMI'HUV    DAVY, 

prevails,  and  after  u.sing  them  daily  in  every  variety  of  explosive 
mixture,  for  upwards  of  three  months,  I  feel  the  highest  possible 
gratitication  in  stating  to  you  that  they  have  answered  to  my 
entile  satisfaction. 

"  The  safety  of  the  lamps  is  so  easily  proved  by  taking  them 
into  any  i)art  of  a  mina  charged  with  fire-damp,  and  all  the 
explosive  gradations  of  that  dangerous  element  are  so  easily  and 
satisfactorily  ascertained  by  their  api)licati()n,  as  to  strike  the 
minds  of  the  most  prejudiced  with  the  strongest  conviction  of 
their  high  utility  ;  and  our  colliers  have  adopted  them  with  the 
greatest  eagerness. 

"Besides  the  facilities  afforded  ])y  this  invention  to  the 
working  of  coal  mines  abounding  in  fire-damp,  it  has  enabled 
the  directors  and  superintendents  to  ascertain,  Avith  the  ixtmost 
precision  and  expedition,  both  the  presence,  the  ([uantity,  and  the 
correct  situation  of  the  gas.  Instead  of  creeping  inch  by  mch 
with  a  candle,  as  is  usual,  along  the  galleries  of  a  mine  suspected 
to  contain  fire-damp,  in  order  to  ascertain  its  presence,  we  walk 
firmly  in  with  the  safe  lamps,  and  with  the  utmost  confidence 
prove  the  actual  state  of  the  mine.  By  observing  attentively 
the  several  appearances  upon  the  fiame  of  the  lamp,  in  an 
examination  of  this  kind,  the  cause  of  accidents  which  have 
happened  to  the  most  experienced  and  cautious  miners  is  com- 
pletely developed  ;  and  this  has  been,  in  a  great  measure,  matter 
of  mere  conjecture. 

"I  feel  peculiar  satisfaction  in  dwelling  upon  a  subject  which 
is  of  the  utmost  importance,  not  only  to  the  great  cause  of 
humanity,  and  to  the  mining  interest  of  the  country,  but  also  to 
the  commercial  and  manufacturing  interests  of  the  United 
Kingdom  ;  for  I  am  convinced  that  by  the  haj)py  invention  of  the 
safe  lamp  large  proportions  of  the  coal  mines  of  the  empire  will 
be  rendered  available,  which  otherwise  might  have  remained 
inaccessible,  at  least  without  an  invention  of  similar  utility,  which 
could  not  have  been  Avrought  without  much  loss  of  the  mineral, 
and  risk  of  life  and  capital. 

"  It  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  enlarge  upon  the  national 
advantages  which  must  necessarily  result  from  an  invention 
calculated  to  prolong  our  supply  of  mineral  coal,  because  I  think 
them  obvious  to  every  reflecting  mind  ;  but  I  cannot  conclude, 
Avithout  exi)ressing   my   highest   sentiments   of    admiration    for 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  203 

those  talents  which  have  developed  the  properties,  and  controlled 
the  power,  of  one  of  the  most  dangerous  elements  which  human 
enterprise  has  hitherto  had  to  encounter." 

This  letter  is  only  one  of  many  received  by  Davy 
from  practical  men,  all  telling  the  same  story  of  wonder 
and  astonishment  "  that  so  simple  a  looking  instru- 
ment should  defy  an  enemy  heretofore  unconquerable  " : 
and  all  expressing  the  deepest  gratitude  to  him  as  its 
inventor,  often  in  language  which  gains  in  force,  and 
even  in  eloquence,  from  its  very  homeliness  and  simple 
pathos. 

The  following  address  from  the  Whitehaven  colliers 
was  among  the  papers  lent  to  me  by  Dr.  Rolleston : — 

"  September  18,  1816. 
"  We,  the  undersigned,  miners  at  the  Whitehaven  Collieries, 
belonging  to  the  Earl  of  Lonsdale,  return  our  sincere  thanks  to 
Sir  Hunii)hry  Davy,  for  his  invaluable  discovery  of  the  safe 
lamps,  which  are  to  us  life  preservers ;  and  being  the  only  return 
ill  our  power  to  make,  we  most  humbly  offer  this,  our  tribute  of 
gratitude." 

The  names  of  eighty-two  miners  are  appended — the 
majority  of  them — viz.  forty-seven — with  their  mark  (  +  ) 
affixed. 

What  the  learned  world  thought  may  be  judged 
from  the  following  extracts  from  an  article  in  the 
Edinburgh  Review— a  periodical  not  always  character- 
ised by  a  just  appreciation  of  the  work  of  the  Royal 
Institution  professors,  for  the  literature  of  science  con- 
tains few  things  more  disingenuous  or  more  spiteful  than 
the  attack  of  "  the  young  gentleman  from  Edinburgh" 
— afterwards  known  as  Lord  Brougham — on  Thomas 
Young  Avhen  he  first  made  known  the  undulatory  theory 
of  light.     In  the  Revieiu  for  February,  1816,  Mr.  Playfair 


204  HUMPHRY   DAVY, 

begins  his  article  on  Davy's  discovery  by  pointing  out 
that — 

"The  safe  lamp  is  a  present  from  philosophy  to  the  arts,  and 
ti)  the  class  of  men  furthest  removed  from  the  influence  of  science. 
The  discovery  is  in  no  degree  the  effect  of  accident ;  and  chance, 
which  comes  in  for  so  large  a  share  in  the  credit  of  human 
inventions,  has  no  claims  on  one  which  is  altogether  the  result  of 
patient  and  enlightened  research.     .     .     . 

'•  This  is  exactly  such  a  case  as  we  should  choose  to  place 
before  Bacon,  were  he  to  revisit  the  earth,  in  order  to  give  him, 
in  a  small  compass,  an  idea  of  the  advancement  which  philosoiihy 
has  made,  since  the  time  when  he  had  i)ointed  out  to  her  the 
route  which  she  ought  to  pursue.  The  great  use  of  an  immediate 
and  constant  ai)i)eal  to  experiment  cannot  be  better  evinced  than 
in  this  example.  The  result  is  as  wonderful  as  it  is  important. 
An  invisible  and  impalpable  barrier  made  eflectual  against  a 
force  the  most  violent  and  irresistible  in  its  operations ;  and  a 
power,  that  in  its  tremendous  effects  seemed  to  emulate  the 
lightning  and  the  eartlKjuake,  confined  within  a  narrow  s]iace, 
and  shut  up  in  a  net  of  the  most  slender  texture,—  are  facts  which 
must  excite  a  degree  of  wonder  and  astonishment  from  which 
neither  ignorance  nor  wisdom  can  defend  the  beholder.  When 
to  this  we  add  the  beneficial  consequences  and  the  saving  of  the 
lives  of  men  and  consider  that  the  effects  are  to  remain  as  long  as 
coal  continues  to  be  dug  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  it  may  fairly 
be  said  that  there  is  hardly  in  the  whole  compass  of  art  or  science  a 
single  invention  of  which  one  would  rather  Avish  to  be  the  author." 

Davy  was  urged  by  several  of  his  friends  to  protect 
his  invention  by  a  patent.  Among  them  was  Mr.  Buddie, 
who  pointed  out  to  him  that  he  might  have  received  his 
five  or  ten  thousand  a  year  from  it. 

"  My  good  friend,"  was  his  answer,  "  I  never  thought  of  such 
a  thing  :  my  sole  object  was  to  serve  the  cause  of  humanity  ;  and 
if  I  have  succeeded,  I  am  amply  rewarded  in  the  gi-atifying  re- 
flection of  having  done  so.  .  .  .  More  wealth  could  not  increase 
either  my  fame  or  my  happiness.  It  might  vmdoubtedly  eual)le 
me  to  put  four  horses  to  my  carriage  ;  but  what  would  it  avail  me 
to  have  it  said  that  Sir  Humphry  drives  his  carriage  and  four  ?" 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  205 

The  gratitude  of  some  of  the  leading  colKery  pro- 
prietors ifor  an  invention  so  unseltishly  placed  at  their 
disposal  found  expression  in  a  letter  from  the  chairman 
of  a  general  meeting  of  the  coal-owners  held  at  New- 
castle on  March  18th,  1816,  conveying  the  terms  of  a  vote 
of  thanks.  A  few  months  afterwards  it  was  determined 
that  their  appreciation  should  take  a  more  substantial 
form,  and  a  general  meetino-  of  the  coal-owners  was  held 
at  Wallsend  Colliery  on  August  31st,  1816,  at  which  it 
was  resolved  to  make  Davy  a  present  of  plate. 

A  note  of  opposition  was  at  once  sounded,  and  it 
came  from  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Felling  Colliery. 
Mr.  W.  Brandling  urged  that  it  was  not  proved  that  Sir 
Humphry  Davy  was  the  first  and  true  inventor  of  the 
safety  lamp,  or  even  the  discoverer  of  the  principle  on 
which  it  was  based. 

"  The  conviction,"  lie  said,  "  upon  my  mind  is,  that  Mr.  George 
Stephenson,  of  Killingworth  Colliery,  is  the  person  who  first 
discovered  and  applied  the  principle  upon  which  safe  lamps  may 
be  constructed ;  for  whether  the  hydrogen  gas  is  admitted  through 
capillary  tubes,  or  through  the  apertures  of  wire-gauze,  which 
may  be  considered  as  merely  the  orifices  of  capillary  tubes,  does 
not,  as  I  conceive,  in  the  least  affect  the  principle." 

The  opposition  thus  started  very  quickly  gathered 
strength,  and  by  appeals  to  local  prejudice  and  to 
ignorance  a  degree  of  heat  and  even  animosity  was 
imported  into  the  question,  which  served  no  other 
purpose  than  to  confuse  the  true  issue.  At  an  adjourned 
meeting  of  the  coal-owners  held  on  October  11th,  1816, 
Mr.  William  Brandling  moved — 

"  That  the  meeting  do  adjourn,  until  by  a  comparison  of  dates 
it  shall  be  ascertained  whether  the  merit  of  the  safety  lamp 
belongs  to  Sir  Humphry  Davy,  or  to  Mr.  George  Stephenson." 


20rt  miMriiuv  daw, 

Altliougli  Mr.  l^randling  failed  to  convince  the 
nieetinir,  it  hecomes  necessary  in  the  interests  of  truth 
and  justice  to  examine  the  grounds  upon  which  George 
Stephenson — a  man  of  undoubted  genius,  and  of  an 
integrity  as  blameless  as  that  of  Davy,  and  who,  as  the 
pioneer  of  railway  enterprise,  subsequently  acquired 
a  fanu^  as  hi(»-h  and  as  deserved  as  that  of  the  OTeat 
chemist — has  claims  to  be  regarded  as  an  inventor  of 
the  safety  lamp.  In  equity,  it  must  be  admitted  that 
the  question  is  not  merely  a  question  of  dates,  for  in 
assisfninsf  merit  in  a  matter  of  this  kind  the  calmer 
judgment  of  posterity  is  not  wholly  swayed  by  priority 
of  date ;  it  looks  to  circumstances,  conditions,  motives, 
and  it  apportions  its  meed  of  approbation  accordingly. 
The  glory  of  Priestley  as  an  independent  discoverer  of 
oxygen  is  in  nowise  dimmed  by  the  circumstance  that 
Scheele  is  now  known  to  have  discovered  it  before  him. 
It  cannot  be  truthfully  asserted  that  Davy  was  not  an 
independent  inventor  of  the  safety  lamp.  What  has  to 
be  determined  is,  has  George  Stephenson  any  such 
claim  ? 

Stephenson's  claim  has  been  ably  and  temperately 
stated  by  Dr.  Smiles  in  his  biography  of  George 
Stephenson,  in  "The  Lives  of  the  Engineers,"  but 
an  unbiassed  review  of  the  evidence  Avill  convince 
most  people  that,  however  certain  it  may  be  that 
the  Killingworth  engine -tenter  was  an  independent 
searcher  after  a  method  of  protecting  a  flame,  it  is 
equally  certain  that  he  was  not  the  discoverer  of  the 
true  principle  on  which  the  safety  lamp  is  constructed, 
and  that  the  lamp  associated  with  his  name,  although 
it  bears  the  impress  of  the  crude  ideas  with  which 
he  started,  owes  its  real  merit  to  the  discoveries  of 
Davy. 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  207 

This  controversy  and  the  feehng  it  gave  rise  to  greatly 
exasperated  Davy,  and  his  anger  is  manifested  in  his 
letters  at  the  time.  The  action  of  the  Brandlings  he 
seemed  to  think  was  inspired  by  the  most  unworthy 
motives.     As  to  his  rival,  he  says : — 

"  I  never  heard  a  word  of  George  Stexihenson  and  his  lamps 
till  six  weeks  after  my  principle  of  security  had  been  published  ; 
and  the  general  impression  of  the  scientific  men  in  London,  which 
is  confirmed  by  what  I  heard  at  Newcastle,  is,  that  Stephenson 
had  some  loose  idea  floating  in  his  mind,  which  he  had  unsuccess- 
fully attempted  to  put  in  practice  till  after  my  labours  were  made 
known  ;— then,  he  made  something  like  a  safe  lamp,  except  that 
it  is  not  safe,  for  the  apertures  below  are  four  times,  and  those 
above  twenty  times  too  large  ;  but,  even  if  Stephenson's  plans 
had  not  been  posterior  to  my  principles,  still  there  is  no  analogy 
between  his  glass  exploding  machine,  and  my  metallic  tissue 
permeable  to  light  and  air,  and  impermeable  to  flame." 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1817,  as  Davy,  passed 
through  Newcastle  on  his  return  from  Scotland,  the 
coal-owners  who  had  subscribed  to  his  testimonial 
invited  him  to  a  banquet  and  presented  him  with  the 
plate,  which,  in  accordance  with  his  wishes,  took  the 
form  of  a  dinner-service.  "  I  wish,"  he  had  said,  "  that 
even  the  plate  from  which  I  eat  should  awaken  my 
remembrance  of  their  liberality,  and  put  me  in  mind  of 
an  event  which  marks  one  of  the  happiest  periods  of  my 
life."  The  chairman — his  friend  Mr.  Lambton,  afterwards 
the  Earl  of  Durham,  and  who  was  with  him  under  the 
care  of  Dr.  Beddoes  at  Bristol — made  the  presentation  in 
an  impressive  and  felicitous  speech,  and  Davy  acknow- 
ledged it  in  terms  worthy  of  himself  and  of  the  occasion. 
In  a  subsequent  speech,  in  response  to  the  toast  of  his 
health,  he  dilated  upon  the  theme  always  uppermost  in 
his  mind,  and  to  which  he  never  neglected  the  opportunity 
to  give  utterance,  namely,  the  benefit  of  abstract  science 


2()S  IHMIMIKY    DAW, 

to  iiiaiikiiul.  He  liad  an  adiiiiniltlc  inoral  to  wliicli  to 
point,  and  it  was  driven  home  with  all  his  wonted  skill 
and  power. 

In  what  manner  this  plate,  Avhich  was  vakicd  at 
about  £2,500,  was  subsequently  made  subservient  to 
the  mtcrcsts  of  science  will  be  seen  hereafter. 

The  friends  of  Stephenson  were  not  Avanting  in  the 
couras^e  of  their  convictions  or  in  determination  to  qive 
substantial  proof  of  it.  In  the  following  November  they 
met  and  resolved  that  as  in  their  opinion  Mr.  G.  Stephen- 
son had  been  the  first  to  discover  the  principle  of  safety 
and  to  apply  it,  he  was  entitled  to  some  reward.  Where- 
upon Davy's  friends  again  assembled  in  public  mee ting- 
on  November  26th,  1817,  and  passed  resolutions  to  the 
effect  that  in  their  opinion  the  merit  belonged  to 
Sir  Humphry  Davy  alone,  and  that  Stephenson's  latest 
lamps  were  evident  imitations  of  those  of  Sir  Humphry 
Davy ;  and  they  further  ordered  that  copies  of  their 
resolutions  should  appear  in  a  number  of  local,  London, 
and  Edinburgh  papers,  and  be  sent  to  the  principal 
owners  and  lessors  of  collieries  upon  the  Tyne  and  Wear. 
Davy's  friends  in  London  also  exerted  themselves  in  his 
behalf,  and  a  copy  of  resolutions  similar  in  purport  to 
those  passed  in  Newcastle,  signed  by  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 
P.R.S.,  Brande,  Hatchett,  and  Wollaston,  was  sent  to  the 
newspapers. 

Mr.  Brandling  and  his  friends  eventually  collected 
about  £800  (including  100  guineas  which  the  meeting 
of  October  11th  had  awarded  Stephenson  as  an  acknow- 
ledgment of  his  efforts  to  construct  a  safe  lamp),  and 
gave  it,  together  with  a  silver  tankard,  to  Mr.  Stephenson 
at  a  public  dinner  in  January,  1818. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  follow  the  subsequent  history 
of  the  Davy  lamp,  or  to  describe  the  various  modifications 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  209 

which  have  grown  out  of  it,  or  even  to  show  the  dangers 
which  a  larger  experience  reveals  as  latent  in  its 
original  form.  These  dangers  have  in  great  measure 
arisen  from  the  development  of  the  very  system  of 
ventilation  which  Buddie  himself  instituted ;  and  he 
Avho  in  his  joy  exultingly  exclaimed,  "At  last,  Ave  have 
subdued  this  monster  ! "  has  unwittingly  contributed  to 
the  maleficent  activity  of  the  monster  in  coping  with  the 
lamp  as  Buddie  knew  it. 

In  the  course  of  his  numerous  trials  made  to  elucidate 
the  principle  of  the  safety  lamp,  Davy  observed  certain 
peculiarities  connected  with  flame  which  led  him  to  take 
up  the  general  question.  Hence  arose  a  series  of  investi- 
gations, which  have  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to 
our  knowledge  of  a  particularly  difficult  and  intricate 
subject. 

He  proved,  in  the  first  place,  that  flame  must  be  con- 
sidered as  an  explosive  mixture  of  inflammable  gas  or 
vapour  and  air,  and  that  the  heat  communicated  by  it 
must  depend  upon  its  mass.  The  different  appearance 
of  a  flame  of  coal  gas  burning  in  a  jet  in  the  open  air, 
and  in  his  safety  lamp  mixed  with  common  air,  led 
him  to  investigate  the  cause  of  luminosity  in  flame. 
He  says : — 

"In  reflecting  on  the  circumstances  of  the  two  species  of 
combustion  I  was  led  to  imagine  that  the  cause  of  the  superiority 
of  the  fight  of  the  stream  of  coal  gas  might  be  owing  to  the  de- 
composition of  a  part  of  the  gas  towards  the  interior  of  tlie  flame, 
where  the  air  was  in  smallest  quantity,  and  the  deposition  of  solid 
charcoal,  which,  first  by  its  ignition,  and  afterwards  by  its  com- 
bustion, increased  in  a  high  degree  the  intensity  of  the  light." 

The  principle  of  the  increase  of  the  brilliancy  and 
density  of  flame  by  the  production  and  ignition  of  solid 
matter  explains  the  appearance  of  the  different  parts  of 

N 


210  HUMPHRY   DAVY, 

the  Haines  of  burning  bodies,  and  of  the  blow-pipe 
flame ;  it  also  explains  the  intensity  of  the  light  of  those 
fiames  in  Avhich  fixed  solid  matter  is  produced  in  com- 
bustion, ('.(j.  phosphorus  and  zinc  in  oxygen,  potassium 
in  chlorine  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  feebleness  of 
the  light  of  Hames  in  which  gaseous  and  volatile  matter 
is  alone  produced,  e.g.  hydrogen  in  oxygen,  phosphorus 
in  chlorine.  Davy's  theory  has  not  been  unchallenged, 
but  all  subsequent  research,  when  pushed  sufficiently 
far,  has  shown  that,  as  regards  all  ordinary  illmninating 
flames,  i.e.  carbonaceous  flames — e.g.  coal-gas,  oil,  paraflin, 
candle — the  presence  of  solid  incandescent  carbon  is  a 
prime  cause  of  their  luminosity.  It  had  been  observed 
that  the  rarefaction  of  a  nuxture  of  inflammable  gases 
diminishes  its  combustibility :  Davy  proved  that  this 
diminution  was  not  the  result  of  the  removal  of  pressure 
per  se,  but  of  the  cooling  efl'ect  thus  indirectly  produced. 
Hence,  the  lower  the  temperature  of  ignition  of  a  gas- 
eous mixture  the  more  it  may  be  rarefied  without  be- 
coming uninflammable.  In  like  manner  he  shows  that  by 
heating  the  gaseous  mixture  it  may  be  caused  to  explode 
at  a  lower  temperature,  and  that  when  gases  combine  by 
sudden  compression,  the  combination  is  caused  by  the 
heat  evolved.  Also  that  the  power  of  an  indifferent  gas 
to  prevent  the  explosion  of  a  gaseous  mixture  depends 
upon  its  power  of  abstracting  heat,  and  that  the  higher 
the  temperature  of  ignition  of  the  explosive  mixture 
the  less  is  the  amount  of  indifferent  gas  required  to  stop 
the  explosion.  He  proved  that  it  was  quite  possible  to 
effect  the  gradual  combination  of  gases  without  flame — 
that  is,  without  the  production  of  heat  sufficient  to  raise 
the  products  to  incandescence;  and  he  discovered  the 
singular  fact  that  platinum  would  induce  the  combina- 
tion of  many  inflammable  gases  and  vapours,  and  on 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  211 

this  circumstance  based  the  construction  of  his  flameless 
lamp. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1818,  he  thus  wrote  to  his 
mother : — 

"My  dear  Mother, — We  are  just  going  on  a  very  interesting 
journey.  I  am  first  to  visit  the  coal  miners  of  Flanders,  who 
have  sent  me  a  very  kind  letter  of  invitation  and  of  thanks  for 
saving  their  lives.  We  are  then  going  to  Austria,  where  I  shall 
show  Vienna  to  Lady  Davy,  and  then  visit  the  mines  ;  and 
lastly,  before  I  return,  we  are  going  to  visit  Naples. 

"I  have  the  commands  of  his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince 
Regent  to  make  experiments  upon  some  very  interesting  ancient 
manuscripts,  which  I  hope  to  unfold.  I  had  yesterday  the  honour 
of  an  audience  from  his  Royal  Highness,  and  he  commissioned 
me  to  pursue  this  object  in  the  most  gracious  and  kind  manner.  .  .  . 

"We  shall  be  absent  some  months.  With  kindest  love  to  my 
sisters  and  my  aunts, 

"  I  am,  my  dear  mother, 

"  Your  most  affectionate  son, 

"H.  Davy." 

A  few  months  after  this  visit  to  the  Prince  Regent 
he  received  the  intimation  that  he  had  been  created  a 
baronet. 

He  arrived  at  Naples  in  the  autumn,  and  began  his 
researches  on  the  Herculaneum  manuscripts  referred  to 
in  his  letter.  His  first  results  were  sufficiently  en- 
couraging to  induce  him  to  make  some  prolonged 
experiments  with  a  view  of  discovering  a  method  of 
unfolding  them.  He  found  that  the  papyri  had  suffered 
not  so  much  from  fire,  as  was  believed,  as  from  a  gradual 
change  in  vegetable  structure,  similar  to  that  which 
accompanies  the  transformation  of  vegetable  matter 
into  lignite.  He  managed  to  unroll  a  number,  and  an 
account  of  his  results  was  communicated  to  the  Royal 
Society  in  1821.     But  from  the  fragmentary  character 

N  2 


212  miMPHRV   DAVY, 

ot  the  papyri  these  were  found  to  be  of  Httlo  vahie  to 
literature.  Subsequently  difficulties  were  put  in  his 
way  by  the  curators  of  the  nuiseuni,  and  ultimately 
liis  investigations  Averc  abandoned,  not  without  some 
little  exhibition  of  temper  and  resentment  on  his 
part. 

During  his  stay  at  Naples  he  again  interested  himself 
in  the  volcanic  phenomena  of  Vesuvius,  and  his  observa- 
tions constitute  the  material  of  a  paper  which  was 
published  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  in  1827, 
and  many  of  his  personal  experiences  in  connection 
Avith  the  subject  are  referred  to  in  his  last  work, 
"  Consolations  in  Travel." 

He  left  Naples  in  the  spring  of  1819,  and  after  a 
short  stay  at  the  baths  of  Lucca  he  Avent  for  the  summer 
and  early  autunui  into  the  Tyrol,  whence  he  again  pro- 
ceeded to  Lucca,  and  on  the  approach  of  winter  returned 
to  Naples,  Avhere  he  arrived  on  December  1st.  He  quitted 
it  in  the  spring  of  1820,  and  travelled  slowly  home  by 
the  south  of  France  and  Bordeaux,  arriving  in  England 
about  the  middle  of  June.  On  the  19th  of  that  month 
Sir  Joseph  Banks  died,  and  so  terminated  his  forty-tAvo 
years'  presidency  of  the  Royal  Society,  to  Avhich  posi- 
tion he  Avas  elected  before  DaA^  Avas  even  born.  Davy 
immediately  announced  his  intention  of  becoming  a 
candidate  for  the  A'acant  chair,  and  Avas  elected  at  the 
folloAving  anniversary  meeting  on  November  80th. 


213 


CHAPTER    XI. 

DAVY    AND    THE    ROYAL    SOCIETY — HIS    LAST    DAYS. 

Davy  was  elected  into  the  Royal  Society  in  1803.  His 
certificate  describes  him  as  "  a  gentleman  of  very  con- 
siderable scientific  knowledge,  and  author  of  a  paper  in 
the  Philosophical  Transactions."  Two  years  afterwards 
— that  is,  in  his  twcntj^-seventh  year — he  was  awarded 
the  Copley  medal ;  from  .which  we  may  infer  either  that 
the  Society  considered  their  medal  not  to  have  the 
lustre  it  now  possesses,  or  that  they  had  a  confident 
belief  in  the  power  and  coming  greatness  of  the 
recipient,  since  the  papers  for  which  it  was  given  are 
perhaps  the  least  meritorious  of  Davy's  productions. 
His  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  Society  led  to 
his  election — or  rather  selection,  for  the  appointment 
in  those  da3's  was  made  by  the  President — as  one  of  the 
Secretaries,  a  position  he  held  until  1812,  when  he 
resigned  it  at  the  time  of  his  marriage.  In  1816  lie^ 
received  the  Rumford  medal  of  the  Society  for  his  work 
in  connection  with  flame  and  the  safety-lamp — an  award 
which  would  have  given  a  peculiar  satisfaction  to 
Rumford  had  he  lived  to  witness  it.  / 

On  the  death  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks  the  general  voice 
of  the  Fellows  seemed  to  designate  Wollaston  as  his 
successor.  It  was,  indeed,  Sir  Joseph  Banks's  desire  that 
Dr.  Wohaston  should  be  nominated.  "  So  excellent  a 
man,"  he  remarked  to  Barrow,  "  of  such  superior  talents, 
and  everyway  fitted  for  the  situation.  Davy  is  a  lively 
and  talented  man,  and  a  thorough  chemist ;  but  .  .  . 
he  is  rather  too  lively  to  fill  the  chair  of  the  Royal  Society 


214  IIUMI'IIRY    l>AVY, 

witli  thill  (logivo  of  i;T!i\ity  which  it  is  most  becoming 
to  assume."  Oh  this  gravity  !  "  La  gravite,"  says  La 
Rochefoucauld,  "est  un  mystere  du  corps,  invente  pour 
cacher  les  defauts  de  I'esprit."  And  Sir  Joseph  liad 
enough  of  it  and  to  spare.  Wohaston — a  man  of  wide 
knowledge,  steady,  cautious,  and  sure, — of  cool  judgment 
and  sagacious  views,  as  DaA^y  said  of  him — felt  no 
inclination  to  accept  a  position  for  which  liis  retiring 
lialiits  and  reticent  disposition  to  some  extent  unfitted 
him,  and  he  declined  to  be  put  in  nomination.  Davy's 
attitude  is  indicated  in  the  following  letter  to  his  friend 
Poole  :— 

f  "I  feel  that  the  President's  chair,  after  Sir  Josei)li,  will  be  no 
lii;ht  matter  ;  and  unless  tliere  is  a  strong  feeling  in  the  majority 
of  tlie  l)0(ly  that  T  am  the  most  proper  person,  I  sliall  not  sa("ritice 
my  tran(inillity  for  what  cannot  add  to  my  reputation,  though  it 

1   may  increase  my  power  of  being  useful. 

"  I  feel  it  a  duty  that  T  owe  to  the  Society  to  offer  myself  ; 
hut  if  they  do  not  feel  that  they  want  me,  (and  the  most  active 
meuil)ers,  T  ])elieve,  do)  I  shall  not  force  myself  upon  them." 

The  "strong  feeling  in  the  majority"  was  shown  on  the 
day  of  election.  A  few  votes  were  given  in  favour  of  Lord 
Colchester,  but  Davy's  triumph  was  practically  complete. 

He  thus  writes  to  Mr.  Poole  in  answer  to  a  letter  of 
conuratulation : — 

"I  have  never  needed  any  motive  to  attach  me  to  science, 
which  I  have  pursued  with  equal  ardour  under  all  circumstances, 
for  its  own  .sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  public,  uninfluenced  by 

I  the  fears  of  my  friends,  or  the  calumnies  of  my  enemies.  I  glory 
in  being  in  the  chair  of  the  IJoyal  Society,  because  I  think  it 
ought  to  be  a  reward  of  scientific  labours,  and  not  an  appendage 
to  rank  or  fortune  ;  and  l)ecause  it  will  enal)le  me  to  be  useful  in 

^    a  higfier  degree  in  promoting  the  cause  of  science." 

Davy  Avas  re-elected  to  the  Presidential  Chair  without 
opposition  for  seven  successive  years — until,  in  short,  his 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  215 

failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign.  Although  the 
Society  owes  much  to  him,  he  himself  derived  little 
satisfaction  or  pleasure  from  the  position.  He  soon 
found,  as  he  anticipated,  that  the  President's  Chair,  after 
Sir  Joseph,  was  no  light  matter  ;  and  there  is  little  doubt 
that  the  worries  and  cares  of  the  office  contributed  to  his 
untimely  death.  In  bearing,  manner,  temperament — in 
fact,  in  almost  every  particularity — he  was  the  very  oppo- 
site to  his  predecessor  ;  and  when  the  discontent  which 
had  slumbered,  with  an  occasional  awakening,  during  Sir 
Joseph's  long  reign,  and  which  his  firmness,  tact,  and  the 
Aveight  of  his  personal  character  had  for  the  time  allayed, 
broke  out,  Davy  was  too  impulsive  and  irascible  to  deal 
with  it  as  Banks  had  done,  and  matters  which  a  less 
sensitive  or  a  more  impassive  man  would  have  unheeded 
were  causes  of  annoyance  and  ill-temper  to  him,  and 
served  to  add  to  the  spirit  of  disunion  which  prevailed. 
But  if  he  occasionally  lacked  discretion,  he  was  never 
wanting  in  zeal.  He  laboured  incessantly  to  add  to  the 
dignity  and  usefulness  of  the  Society.  He  strove  in 
every  way  to  enhance  the  character  of  its  publications 
and  to  raise  the  standard  of  Fellowship.  His  great 
ambition  was  to  bring  the  Society  into  more  intimate 
relation  with  the  State. 

"  It  was  his  wish,"  says  his  brother,  '"  to  have  seen  the  Eoyal  I 
Society  an  efficient  establishment  for  all  the  great  practical 
purposes  of  science,  similar  to  the  college  contemi)lated  by  Lord 
Bacon,  and  sketched  in  his  New  Athxntis  ;  having  subordinate 
to  it  the  Royal  Observatory  at  Greenwich  for  astronomy ;  the 
British  Museum,  for  natural  history,  in  its  most  extensive  j 
acceptation." 

Realising  in  his  own  case  what  such  a  laboratory  as 
that  of  the  Royal  Institution,  supported  wholly  by  private 
liberality,  had  done  for  science,  it  was  his  desire  that 


210  HUMI'lIUV    DAW, 

similar  laboratories,  amply  provided  with  all  means 
requisite  for  original  inquiry,  should  be  maintained  and 
administered  by  the  Society.  But,  as  his  brother  adds, 
the  Government,  although  ready  enough  to  consult  him 
when  in  want  of  his  knowledge  or  of  that  of  other  Fellows 
of  the  Society,  was  lukewarm  and  indifferent  in  matters 
of  science,  and  he  received  no  effectual  support.  It  is 
true  that  towards  the  end  of  his  Presidency  the  Society 
received  a  mark  of  Royal  fjivour  b}^  the  foundation  of 
the  Royal  Medals  in  1825,  but  from  various  causes  the 
medals  were  not  actually  forthcoming  until  1833,  Avhcn 
the  Duke  of  Sussex  was  in  the  Chair,  although  no  fewer 
than  ten  awards  had  been  made  in  the  meantime.  In  his 
attention  to  the  personal  duties  of  his  office  Davy  was 
unremitting.  His  addresses  were  a  feature  of  the  session  ; 
in  these  he  disj)la3^ed  all  the  ardour,  eloquence  and 
poetical  fervour,  and,  it  may  be  added,  all  the  egoism, 
which  characterised  his  lectures.  He  delighted  to  dwell 
upon  the  power  and  dignity  of  science,  its  worth  as  a 
mental  instrument,  and  its  value  to  the  national  life. 
In  his  announcements  of  the  awards  of  the  Society's 
medals  the  range  of  his  knowledge,  his  power  of  exposi- 
tion, and  his  faculty  of  felicitous  expression  found  ample 
opportunity  for  exercise.  He  was  the  first  President  to 
introduce  obituary  notices  of  Fellows,  and  his  eloges  are 
marked  by  judgment,  taste,  and  warmth  of  feeling. 

In  everything  that  related  to  the  dignity  and  ceremony 
of  his  office  he  Avas,  as  might  have  been  expected,  most 
punctilious.  Although  as  a  rule  somewhat  careless  in 
dress,  he  invariably  took  the  chair  in  full  Court  dress, 
sitting  covered,  and  with  the  mace  of  office— the  veritable 
"  bauble  "  which  Cromwell  ordered  to  be  removed  from 
the  table  of  the  House  of  the  Commons — in  front  of  him, 
as  is  still  the  custom. 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  217 

To  enhance  his  dignity  we  are  told  that  he  petitioned 
Government  for  the  Red  Ribbon  of  his  predecessor,  and 
it  was  said  that  he  felt  so  certain  his  request  would  be 
granted  that  his  name  was  printed  with  the  coveted 
letters  K.B.  appended. 

During  the  session  he  followed  the  practice  of  Sir 
Joseph  Banks  in  assembling  the  Fellows  at  a  weekly 
conversazione  at  his  house  in  Lower  Grosvenor  Street. 
Subsequently,  on  his  removal  to  Park  Street,  these 
meetings  were  held  in  the  apartments  of  the  Society  at 
Somerset  House.  Davy's  vivacity  and  conversational 
powers  made  the  gatherings  in  the  outset  a  great  success, 
but  when  the  tide  of  his  unpopularity  as  President  set 
in,  the  attendance  fell  off,  and  they  were  eventually 
discontinued. 

During  the  autumn  preceding  his  first  election  he 
spent  some  time  with  Scott  at  Abbotsford,  in  company 
Avitli  Wollaston  and  Mackenzie  (the  Man  of  Feeling),  and 
Lockhart  gives  some  account  of  him  as  the  party  started 
on  a  sporting  expedition  on  a  September  morning. 

"  But  the  most  picturesque  figure  was  the  illustrious  inveutor 
of  the  safety  lamp.  He  had  come  for  his  favourite  sport  of 
angling  .  .  .  and  his  fislierman's  costume  — a  brown  hat  with 
flexible  brims,  surrounded  with  line  upon  line,  and  innumerable 
fly-hooks  ;  jack-boots  worthy  of  a  Dutch  smuggler,  and  a  fustian 
surtout  dabbled  with  the  blood  of  salmon — made  a  fine  contrast 
to  the  smart  jackets,  white-cord  breeches,  and  well  polished 
jockey-boots  of  the  less  distinguished  cavaliers  about  him.  Dr. 
Wollaston  was  in  black,  and  with  his  noble  serene  dignity  of 
countenance  might  have  passed  for  a  sporting  archbishop.  .  .  . 
I  have  seen  Sir  Humphry  in  many  places,  and  in  company  of 
many  different  descriptions ;  but  never  to  such  advantage  as  at 
Abbotsford.  His  host  and  he  delighted  in  each  other,  and  the 
modesty  of  their  mutual  admiration  was  a  memorable  spectacle. 
Davy  was  by  nature  a  poet — and  Scott,  though  anything  but  a 
philosopher  in  the  modern  sense  of  that  term,  might,  1  think  it 


218  HUM  I'll  UV    DAVY, 

very  likely,  liave  pursued  the  study  of  physical  science  witli  zeal 
and  success,  had  he  lia])poiied  to  fall  in  with  such  an  instructor  as 
Sir  Humphry  would  have  been  to  him,  in  his  early  life.  Each 
strove  to  make  the  other  talk — and  they  did  so  in  turn  more 
charmingly  than  I  have  ever  heard  either  on  any  other  occasion 
whatsoever.  Scott  in  his  romantic  narratives  touched  a  deeper 
cord  of  feeling  than  usual,  when  he  had  such  a  listener  as  Davy  ; 
and  Davy,  when  induced  to  oi)en  his  views  upon  any  question  of 
scientific  interest  in  Scott's  presence,  did  so  with  a  degree  of 
clear  energetic  eloquence,  and  with  a  flow  of  iniageiy  and  illustra- 
tion, of  which  neither  his  habitual  tone  of  table-talk  (least  of  all  in 
London),  nor  any  of  his  prose  writings  (excei)t,  indeed,  the 
])ostlnunous  Consolations  in  Travel)  could  suggest  an  adequate 
notion.  1  say  his  prose  writings— for  who  that  has  read  liis 
sublime  quatrains  on  the  doctrine  of  Spinoza  can  doubt  that  he 
might  liave  united,  if  he  had  pleased,  in  some  great  didactic 
poem,  the  vigorous  ratiocination  of  Dryden  and  the  moral 
majesty  of  Wordsworth  ?  I  remember  William  Laidlaw  whisper- 
ing to  me,  one  night,  when  their  '  wra])t  talk  '  had  kept  the 
circle  round  the  fire  until  long  after  the  usual  bed-time  of 
Abbotsford — '  Gude  preserve  us  !  This  is  a  very  superior 
occasion  !  Eh,  sirs  ! '  he  added,  cocking  his  eye  like  a  liird,  'I 
wonder  if  Shakspeare  and  Bacon  ever  met  to  screw^  ilk  other  up  V" 

In  spite  of  the  many  calls  upon  his  time  and  energies 
entailed  by  his  duties  as  President,  he  still  found 
opportunity  to  work  in  his  laboratory,  and  one  outcome 
of  his  labours  was  a  paper  "On  the  magnetic  phenomena 
produced  by  electricity,"  published  in  the  Philosophical 
Transactions  for  1821— the  sequel  of  a  letter  addressed 
to  Wollaston  and  also  printed  in  the  Transactions.  This 
memoir  was  followed  a  few  months  later  by  a  communi- 
cation "On  the  Electrical  phenomena  exhibited  wi  vacuo." 

These  papers,  together  with  one  on  a  New  Phenom- 
enon of  Electro-Magnetism,  published  in  1823,  are 
interesting  in  relation  to  the  development  of  Oersted's 
great  discovery,  and  in  connection  with  the  subsequent 
work  of  Faraday. 


POET    AND    PHILOSOPHER.  219 

With  that  power  of  generahsation  which  is  one  of  the 
distinguishing  marks  of  his  genius,  he  shows  the  possible 
connection  of  the  facts  he  had  observed  with  the 
phenomena  of  terrestrial  magnetism.  He  concludes  his 
tirst  paper  b}^  asking 

"  whether  the  magnetism  of  the  earth  may  not  be  owing  to  its 
electricity,  and  the  variation  of  the  needle  to  the  alterations  in 
the  electrical  currents  of  the  earth,  in  consequence  of  its  motions, 
internal  changes,  or  its  relations  to  solar  heat;  and  whether  the 
luminous  effects  of  the  auroras  at  the  poles  are  not  shown,  by 
these  new  facts,  to  depend  on  electricity.  This  is  evident,  that 
if  strong  electrical  currents  be  supposed  to  follow  the  apparent 
course  of  the  sun,  the  magnetism  of  the  earth  ought  to  be  such  as 
it  is  found  to  be." 

It  is  perhaps  idle  to  speculate  on  such  a  matter, 
but  it  is  more  than  likely  that  had  Davy  been  free 
from  the  cares  and  restraints  of  office,  and  from  the 
innumerable  distractions  inseparable  from  his  position 
in  the  social  and  scientitic  world  of  London,  he  miQ-ht 
have  revealed  the  possibilities  in  electro-magnetism 
with  the  same  brilliant  success  as  he  had  done  those 
of  voltaic  electricity.  He  was  now  at  the  maturity  of 
his  mental  power,  and  had  still  much  of  the  enthusiasm 
and  ardour  Avhich  characterised  his  earliest  work,  and 
under  serener  conditions  he  might  have  achieved 
triumphs  not  less  striking  than  those  reserved  for 
Faraday.  His  few  short  papers  on  the  subject  indicate 
that  he  fully  realised  the  great  wealth  of  the  new 
territor}^  thus  opened  out  to  science,  and  into  which  he 
was  one  of  the  first  to  penetrate.  But  it  is  sad  to  think 
that  he  might  have  extended  a  more  generous  hand  to 
one  wdio,  equally  with  himself,  was  striving  to  enter  the 
new  land,  and  who  eventually  did  enter  and  for  a 
time  possessed  it.     In  the  concluding  w^ords  of  Davy's 


220  HUMPHRY    DAVY, 

last  paper  on  clectro-niagnetisiu,  wc  discern  in  the 
allusion  to  Wollaston's  idea  of  the  possibility  of  the 
rotation  of  the  electro-niao-nctic  wire  round  its  axis 
"  the  rift  within  the  lute  "  in  his  relations  towards  his 
assistant,  which  widened  in  the  matter  of  the  con- 
densatit)n  of  chlorine,  and  which  threatened  to  become 
an  ojien  breach  when  Faraday  was  elected  into  the 
Royal  Society. 

The  jealousy  thus  manifested  by  Dav}'  is  one  of 
the  most  pitiful  facts  in  his  history.  It  Avas  a  sign 
of  that  moral  weakness  which  was  at  the  bottom  of 
much  of  his  unpopularity,  and  which  revealed  itself 
in  various  ways  as  his  physical  strength  dcnayed. 

Greedy  as  he  was  of  fame — that  infirmity  of  noblo 
minds — many  incidents  in  his  life  up  to  this  period 
prove  that  he  was  not  wanting  on  occasion  in  a 
generous  appreciation  of  the  work  of  his  contemporaries, 
even  in  fields  he  might  reasonably  claim  as  his  own. 
But,  although  in  his  intellectual  combats  he  could  show  at 
times  a  certain  knightly  courtesy,  it  must  be  confessed 
that  he  was  lacking  in  the  magnanimity  which  springs 
from  the  charity  that  envieth  not. 

In  genius  he  Avas  unquestionably  superior  to  Fara- 
da}^;  in  true  nobility  of  character  he  was  far  below 
him.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  avoid  comparing  him 
with  Farada}^  Indeed  it  is  one  of  the  penalties  of  his 
position  that  he  has  to  be  tried  b}^  so  severe  a 
standard,  and  it  may  Avell  be  that  his  good  name, 
which,  as  Bacon  says,  is  the  proper  inheritance  of  the 
deceased,  has  suffered  unduly  in  consequence.  His 
true  place  in  the  history  of  science  is  defined  by  his 
discoveries;  it  is  a  sad  reflection  that  the  lustre  of 
his  fame  has  been  dimmed  rather  than  heightened 
by  what  has  been   styled    the    greatest  of  them    all — . 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  221 

Faraday.  But  there  has  undoubtedly  been  injustice 
in  the  comparisons  which  have  been  made.  What 
Davy  was  to  Faraday,  Faraday  would  have  been  the 
first  to  admit.  Davy  made  himself  what  he  Avas  by 
the  sheer  force  of  his  unaided  genius ;  what  Faraday 
became  Avas  in  large  measure  due  to  his  connection 
Avith  Davy,  and  the  germs  of  his  greatest  works  are 
to  be  traced  to  this  association.  This  fact  has  been 
frankly  acknowledged  by  Faraday.  To  the  end  of  his 
days  he  regarded  Davy  as  his  true  master,  preservmg 
to  the  last,  in  spite  of  his  knowledge  of  the  moral  frailties 
of  Davy's  nature,  the  respect  and  even  reverence  Avhich 
is  to  be  seen  in  his  early  lecture  notes  and  in  his 
letters  to  his  friend  Abbott.  Faraday  was  not  easily 
roused  to  anger,  but  nothing  so  effectually  moved  him 
as  any  aspersion  of  Davy's  character  as  a  man  of 
science,  or  any  insinuation  of  ungenerous  treatment 
of  himself  by  Davy. 

At  about  this  time — that  is,  in  the  autumn  of  1823 
— Davy  gave  the  first  signs  of  the  obscure  malady 
which  ultimately  occasioned  his  death.  In  a  letter  to 
his  brother,  in  which  he  describes  his  symptoms,  Ave 
have  a  reference,  also,  to  his  domestic  Av^orries :  "  To  add 
to  my  annoyances,  I  find  my  house,  as  usual,  after  the 
arrangements  made  by  the  mistress  of  it,  Avithout 
female  servants  ;  but  in  this  Avorld  Ave  have  to  suffer 
and  bear,  and  from  Socrates  doAvn  to  humble  mortals, 
domestic  discomfort  seems  a  sort  of  philosophical  fate." 
He  Avas  able,  hoAvever,  to  continue  his  scientiiic  Avork, 
but  instead  of  the  fame  and  applause  on  Avhich  he  so 
confidently  counted,  he  found  only  disappointment  and 
chagrin. 

In  1823  the  Admiralty  sought  the   advice   of  the 
Royal  Society  as  to  "  the  best  means  of  securing  to  the 


222  HUMrnuv  daw, 

service  copjicr  of  the  most  durable  qiialit}^  and  such 

as    will   preserve    the    smoothest    surface."       A    coui- 

niittee   of   the   Society    Avas   appointed,   under    Davy's 

direction,    to   consider    the   question,  which    ultimately 

resolved   itself    into   one   of    preventing    the   corrosion 

of  the  metal.     In  this  matter  Davy's  special  experience 

proved   most   useful,   and,  as   a   fact,  he   took    all   the 

experimental   part   of   the   inquiry   upon  himself,   and 

with  what  result  may  be  seen  from  the  following  letter 

to  his  brother  : — 

"Firle,  Jany  30,  1824. 

"  I  have  lately  made  a  discovery  of  which  you  will  for  many 
reasons  be  glad.  I  have  found  a  complete  method  of  preserving 
the  copper  sheeting  of  ships,  which  now  readily  corrodes.  It  is 
by  rendering  it  negatively  electrical.  My  results  are  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  uneciuivocal  kind  :  a  mass  of  tin  renders  a  surface 
of  copper  200  or  300  times  its  own  size  suHiciently  electrical  to 
have  no  action  on  sea  water. 

"  I  was  led  to  this  discovery  by  principle,  as  you  will  easily 
imagine  ;  and  the  saving  to  government  and  the  country  by  it  will 
be  immense.  I  am  going  to  apply  it  immediately  to  the  navy.  I 
might  have  made  an  immense  fortune  by  a  patent  for  this  dis- 
covery, but  I  have  given  it  to  my  country  ;  for  in  everything  con- 
nected with  interest,  I  am  resolved  to  live  and  die  at  least  '  sans 
tdche:" 

His  method  ot  rendering  the  copper  negatively 
electric  consisted  in  affixing  to  the  sheets  a  number 
of  short  bars  of  iron  or  zinc,  properly  curved  to  the 
shape  of  the  vessel.  In  this  way  the  "protectors," 
as  the  zinc  or  iron  bars  were  called,  gradually  corroded, 
whilst  the  copper  remained  unattacked.  But,  as  Dr. 
Paris  remarks,  the  truth  of  the  theory  was  completely 
established  by  the  failure  of  the  remedy.  The  ship's 
bottom  became  so  foul  by  the  adhesion  of  shells  and 
weed  that  her  speed  was  greatly  impeded,  and  after 
a  number  of   trials,  in   the   course  of   which  a  steam 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  223 

vessel  Avas  placed  at  his  disposal,  in  which  he  made 
a  voyage  to  Norway  and  back,  the  Admiralty  directed 
the  protectors  to  be  removed.  To  add  to  his  mortifica- 
tion, the  order  was  issued  immediately  after  a  com- 
munication to  the  Royal  Society  announcing  the 
complete  success  of  his  plan.  Throughout  the  whole 
of  this  business  he  was  exposed  to  a  number  of 
vexatious  attacks,  which  greatly  embittered  him  and 
reacted  disastrously  upon  his  health  and  character. 
So  long  as  there  was  the  hope  of  success  and  the 
prospect  of  reward  his  claims  to  the  originality  of  the 
invention  Avere  contested;  no  sooner  was  the  project 
abandoned  than  he  was  assailed  in  the  periodical  press 
and  made  an  object  of  sarcasm  and  censure.  As 
might  be  imagined,  his  philosophy  was  not  proof 
against  such  attacks.  He  wrote  to  his  friend 
Children — 

"  A  mind  of  much  sensibility  might  be  disgusted,  and  one 
might  be  induced  to  say  why  should  I  labour  for  public  objects, 
merely  to  meet  abuse  1 — I  am  irritated  by  them  more  than  I 
ought  to  be  ;  but  I  am  getting  wiser  every  day — recollecting 
Galileo^  and  the  times  when  philosophers  and  public  benefactors 
were  burnt  for  their  services." 

During  the  autumn  his  indisposition  increased,  and 
his  home  letters  show  that  the  wonderful  elasticity  of 
spirit,  which,  as  his  brother  remarks,  had  hitherto  carried 
him  lightly  and  joyously  through  life,  over  all  its  rubs 
and  cares,  now  seemed  to  flag.  He  had  an  ailing  winter, 
and  with  the  spring  came  news  of  his  mother's  illness. 
He  could  only  write  with  difficulty : — "  If  it  please  God, 
I  will  certainly  be  at  Penzance  the  last  week  in  October 
or  the  first  in  November."  He  never  saw  her  ao'ain ;  she 
rallied    for   a    time,   but    died   somewhat   suddenlj^  in 


224  HUMPHRY   DAVY, 

September.  Davy  never  really  recovered  from  the  shock 
of  her  death.  It  Avas  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that 
he  was  able  to  ]M'esidc  at  the  anniversary  meeting  of  the 
Society  on  the  ensuing  St.  Andrew's  Day.  The  effort  was 
so  marked  that  those  near  him  feared  he  was  on  the 
verge  of  apoplexy,  and  he  was  too  ill  to  attend  the 
dinner.  A  few  Aveeks  later  he  had  a  slight  attack  of 
paralysis,  from  Avhich  he  only  slowly  recovered.  His 
good  friend  Dr.  Babington'^  ordered  him  abroad,  away 
from  "  the  convivial  epicurean  habits  of  London  society," 
and  from  "  the  many  annoyances  and  causes  of  injurious 
excitement  to  wdiich  he  was  exposed  at  home."  He  set 
out  with  his  brother  John,  in  the  depth  of  Avinter — "  a 
dreary  beginning  of  a  dreary  journey."  He  avoided 
Paris  ;  he  AA^ould  not  even  pass  through  it,  so  appre- 
hensive AA'as  he  that  he  should  not  escape  from  "  the 
allurement— or,  rather,  excitement — of  its  society"  if 
he  stopped  there.  The  roads  Avere  in  a  Avretched  state, 
the  country  covered  Avith  snoAv,  and  "  no  object  to  arrest 
the  eye,  except  a  village  here  and  there  rising  out  of  the 
Avhite  Avaste,  or  a  distant  steeple,  or  some  solitary  tree." 
The  cold  Avas  intense,  and  once  or  tAvice  the  travellers 
Avere  benighted,  the  Avheels  of  their  carriage  being  locked 
in  the  frozen  ruts.  As  they  passed  through  the  toA\^ns 
Da\'y,  Avho  seemed  to  cling  to  life  Avith  a  passionate 
tenacity,  Avould  visit  the  churches,  and,  falling  on  his 
knees,  Avonld  offer  np  a  silent  prayer.  They  crossed 
Mont  Cenis  in  a  storm  of  Avind  and  amidst  drifting 
snoAv,  and  Avith   great   difficulty  got  doAvn  to  Susa  on 

*  "  Babington,  the  best  and  warmest-hearted  friend,  the  kindest 
husband  and  father,  and  perhaps  the  most  disinterested  physician  of 
his  time ;  with  good  talents,  and  a  fine  tact,  and  a  benevolence  which 
created  sympathy  for  him  wherever  he  appeared,  and  I  believe  often 
cured  his  patients." 


POET  AND   PHILOSOPHER.  225 

sledges.  The  snow  in  Lombardy  was  deeper  than  in 
the  passes  of  the  Alps,  and  even  at  Ravenna,  where  they 
arrived  in  the  first  week  of  March,  it  was  still  to  be  seen 
in  the  ditches.  Here  his  brother  left  him,  his  duties  as 
an  army  surgeon  calling  him  to  Corfu.  In  spite  of 
severe  Aveather,  the  discomforts  of  travelling  at  such  a 
time,  and  the  forced  delays  at  wretched  inns,  Davy 
gradually  improved;  his  brother  noted  before  he  left 
that  he  was  certainly  stronger,  less  paralytic,  and  more 
active.     He  wrote  to  his  friend  Poole  : — 

"  I  ain,  thank  God,  better,  but  still  very  weak,  and  wholly 
unfit  for  any  kind  of  business  and  study.  I  have,  however,  con- 
siderably recovered  the  use  of  all  the  limbs  that  were  affected  ; 
and  as  my  amendment  has  been  slow  and  gradual,  I  hope  in  time 
it  may  be  complete.  But  I  am  leading  the  life  of  an  anchorite, 
obliged  to  abstain  from  flesh,  wine,  business,  study,  experiments, 
and  all  things  that  I  love  ;  but  this  discipline  is  salutary,  and  for 
the  sake  of  being  able  to  do  something  more  for  science,  and  I 
hope  for  humanity,  I  submit  to  it,  believing  that  the  Great 
Source  of  intellectual  being  so  Avills  it  for  good." 

He  tells  Poole  that  he  had  chosen  Eavenna — this  spot 
of  the  declining  Empire  of  Rome — as  one  of  solitude  and 
repose,  and  as  out  of  the  way  of  travellers  and  in  a  good 
climate.  He  was  interested,  too,  in  its  many  associations 
with  his  friend  Byron,  with  Dante,  and  in  its  old-world 
memories  of  Theodoric  and  his  lost  legions.  How  the 
place  affected  him  in  his  state  of  physical  enfeeblement, 
but  with  his  mind  chastened  and  purified,  may  be  seen 
in  the  character  of  much  that  he  wrote  there,  and 
particularly  in  his  poems,  with  their  many  notes  of 
sadness  and  hope,  trust  and  resignation.  He  was  lodged 
in  the  Apostolical  Palace  by  the  kindness  of  the  Vice- 
Legate — a  graceful,  learned,  and  accomplished  man,  with 
whom  he  contracted  a  warm  friendship.  He  says  he 
o 


22()  HUMPIIllY   DAW, 

could  not  speak  of"  his  j^-oodncss  without  tears  of  gratitude 
in  his  eyes,  and  with  this  exception  and  an  occasional  visit 
from  the  Countess  Guiccioli  he  had  no  societ3^  Most 
of  his  time  was  spent  in  riding  amidst  the  pines  and 
junipers,  or  following  the  petzardone  among  the  marshes 
of  La  Classe ;  or  in  reading  and  in  the  study  of  natural 
history. 

"Tlie  natural  strength  of  his  inind,"  says  his  brother,  "was 
very  clearly  manifested  under  these  circumstances.  Dejiendent 
entirely  on  his  own  resources ;  no  friend  to  converse  with  ;  no  one 
with  him  to  rely  on  for  aid,  and  in  a  foreign  country,  without 
even  a  medical  adviser ;  destitute  of  all  the  amusements  of 
society  ;  without  any  of  the  comforts  of  home — month  after 
month,  he  kept  on  his  course,  wandering  from  river  to  river,  from 
one  mountain  lake  and  valley  to  another,  in  search  of  favourable 
climate  ;  amusing  himself  with  his  gun  and  rod,  when  sufficiently 
strong  to  use  them,  with  '  speranza '  for  his  rallying  word." 

With  the  approach  of  spring  he  passed  by  way  of 
Gorizia  into  Illyria,  and,  as  the  heat  increased,  into 
Upper  Austria,  Bavaria,  and  Switzerland,  and  back,  in 
the  late  summer,  to  Illyria.  His  journals  give  a  fairly 
full  account  of  his  movements  and  of  the  manner  in 
which  he  spent  his  time ;  they  also  indicate  his  state 
of  mind,  the  alternations  of  hope  and  despondency,  and 
his  constant  struggles  Avith  the  insidious  disease  which 
was  gradually  exhausting  his  physical  powers. 

He  wrote  to  his  wife  from  Laybach : — 

"  You  once  talked  of  passing  this  winter  in  Italy  ;  but  I  hope 
your  plans  will  be  entirely  guided  by  the  state  of  your  health  and 
feelings.  Your  society  would  undoubtedly  be  a  very  great  re- 
source to  me,  but  I  am  so  well  aware  of  my  own  present  unfitness 
for  society,  that  I  would  not  have  you  risk  the  chance  of  an  un- 
comfortable moment  on  my  account  I  often  read  Lord  Byron's 
Euthanasia:  it  is  the  only  case,  probably,  where  my  feelings 
perfectly  coincide  with  what  his  were." 


POET  AND   PHILOSOPHER.  227 

At  times  the  feeling  of  despair  was  so  intense  that  he 
actually  seemed  apprehensive  of  suicide.  It  was  probably 
under  the  influence  of  such  a  fear  that  he  wrote  in  his 
journal  that  he  had  too  strong  a  faith  in  the  optimism  of 
the  system  of  the  universe  ever  to  accelerate  his  dissolution. 

"  I  have  been  and  am  taking  a  care  of  my  health  which  I  fear 
it  is  not  worth  ;  but  which,  hophig  it  may  i)lease  Providence  to 
preserve  me  for  wise  purposes,  I  think  it  my  dutijP 

On  another  occasion  he  wrote  to  Lady  Davy  : — 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  of  your  perfect  re-establishment,  and  with 
health  and  the  society  of  London,  which  you  are  so  well  fitted  to 
ornament  and  enjoy,  your  '  viva  la  felicita '  is  much  more  secure 
than  any  hope  belonging  to  me." 

Subsequently  he  wrote  : — 

"  Should  your  feelings  or  inclination  lead  you  to  the  land  of 
the  sun,  I  need  not  say  what  real  pleasure  it  would  give  me  to 
enjoy  your  society ;  but  do  not  make  any  sacrifice  on  my  account." 

A  couple  of  days  afterwards  he  wrote : — 

"I  hope  I  shall  have  the  delight  of  seeing  you  at  Baden  Baden. 
If  not,  I  shall  come  to  England.  .  .  .  Pray  let  my  physicians 
know  what  an  obedient  patient  I  am.  .  .  .  God  bless  you, 
my  dear  Jane  !  " 

Towards  the  end  of  September,  and  at  Baden,  the 
solitary  man  wrote  : — 

"I  fear  my  light  of  life  is  burnt  out,  and  that  there  remains 
nothing  but  stink,  and  smoke  and  dying  snuff.  .  .  .  D^cbito 
fortissime  restaurationem  meum. — Decidedly  worse  and  have 
decide  1  to  go  home  immediately." 

At  Mayence  he  informed  his  wife  that  he  trusted 
soon  to  see  her  in  Park  Street.  He  had  a  lingering  hope 
that  she  might  still  be  induced  to  cross  the  water,  and 
that  he  might  meet  her  at  Calais. 

"  I   think  you  will  find  me  altered  in  many  things— with  a 
heart  still  alive  to  value  and  reply  to  kindness,  and  a  disposition 
o2 


I 


228  HUMrirnv  daw, 

to  recur  to  the  brighter  moments  of  my  existence  of  fifteen  years  I 
ago,  and  with  a  feeling  that  though  a  burnt-out  flame  can  never  ^ 
be  rekindled,  a  smothered  one  may  be.  ...  I  hope  it  is  a 
good  omen  that  my  paper  by  accident  is  cmleiir  de  rose." 

He  had  previously  determined  to  resign  the  chair  of 
the  Royal  Society,  and  announced  his  decision  in  a  letter 
to  his  old  friend  Davies  Gilbert,  the  treasurer.  To  his 
wife  he  wrote  : — 

"  If  I  had  perfectly  recovered  I  know  not  what  I  should  have 
done  with  respect  to  the  P.  under  the  auspices  of  a  new  and  more 
enlightened  government  ;  but  my  state  of  health  renders  the 
resignation  ahsoluteli/  necessary.  To  attempt  business  this  year 
would  be  to  prepare  for  another  attack." 

He  is  pleased  with  the  idea  that  Sir  Robert  Peel, 
Avho  had  "  no  scientific  glory  to  awaken  jealousy,"  may 
be  his  successor ;  and  he  resumes  : — 

"  The  prosperity  of  the  Royal  Society  will  always  be  very  dear 
to  me,  and  there  is  no  period  of  my  life  to  which  I  look  back  with 
more  real  satisfaction  than  the  six  years  of  labour  for  the  interests 
of  that  body.  I  never  ivas,  and  never  could  be,  unpopular  with 
the  active  and  leading  members,  as  six  unanimous  elections  proved  ; 

but  because  I  did  not  choose  the  Society  to  be  a  tool  of  Mr. 's 

journal  jobs,  and  resisted  the  admission  of  improper  members,  I 
had  some  enemies,   who  were  listened  to  and  encouraged  from 

Lady 's  chair.     I  shall  not  name  them,  but  as  Lord  Byron 

has  said  '  my  curse  shall  be  forgiveness.'  " 

He  arrived  in  London  in  the  first  w^eek  in  October, 
and  towards  the  end  of  the  month  he  wrote  to  his  friend 
Poole  that  he  had  consulted  all  the  celebrated  men  who 
had  written  upon  or  studied  the  nervous  system. 

"  They  all  have  a  good  opinion  of  my  case,  and  they  all  order 
absolute  repose  for  at  least  twelve  months  longer,  and  will  not 
allow  me  to  resume  my  scientific  duties  or  labours  at  present; 
and  they  insist  upon  my  leaving  London  for  the  next  three  or 
four  mouths  and  advise  a  residence  in  the  West  of  England." 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  229 

Poole  promptly  asked  him  down  to  Nether  Stowey. 
His  friend  relates  that  although  his  bodily  infirmity  was 
very  great  and  his  sensibility  painfully  acute — ("  Here 
I  am,  the  ruin  of  what  I  was  ! "  he  exclaimed  on  his 
arrival) — his  mind  still  showed  much  of  its  wonted 
ardour  and  vigour.  He  spent  his  mornings  in  literar}'' 
work,  mainly  on  his  "  Salmonia;  or,  Days  of  Fly-fishing," 
a  philosophical  disquisition  on  angling,  published  in 
1828,  and  which,  despite  the  rollicking  banter  of  Chris- 
topher North,  passed  through  five  or  six  editions.  Davy 
had  the  ambition  to  do  for  fly-fishing  what  Walton  had 
done  for  the  humbler  art  of  bottom-fishing.  But  Davy's 
book,  although  constructed  on  much  the  same  lines  as 
"  The  Compleat  Angler,"  lacks  every  feature  which  has 
made  honest  Izaak's  work  immortal — the  quaint  sim- 
plicity, the  homely  wit,  the  delicate  humour,  the  delight- 
ful charm — the  reflection,  in  a  word,  of  the  mental 
features  of  a  lovable  man  blessed  with  the  ornament  of 
a  meek  and  quiet  spirit.  The  egotism  and  garrulity  of 
Piscator  are  delicious  ;  the  loquacity  and  self-confidence 
of  Davy's  Halieus  are  tiresome  to  the  last  degree.  We 
are  bored  with  his  long  didactic  speeches,  his  conscious- 
ness of  superiority,  and  his  cheap  and  tawdry  sentiment. 
It  was  a  poor  return  for  all  the  kindness  and  skill  of 
Babington,  that  his  patient  should  have  seen  in  such  a 
creation  the  character  of  one  of  the  most  charming  and 
estimable  of  men. 

More  than  one  mention  has  been  made  in  this 
biography  of  what  Maria  Edgeworth  termed  Davy's 
"  little  madness."  Indeed,  the  love  of  angling  amounted 
to  a  passion  with  him ;  and  he  told  Ticknor  that  he 
thought  if  he  were  obliged  to  renounce  either  fishing 
or  philosophy  he  should  find  the  struggle  of  his  choice 
pretty  severe.     Whenever   he  could  escape  from   town 


230  HUMl'llUV    DAW, 

lie  would  liio  him  to  some  favourite  stream  and  spend 
the  day  in  the  practice  of  his  beloved  art.  He 
was  known  to  have  posted  a  couple  of  hundred  miles 
for  the  sake  of  a  da3''s  fishing,  and  to  have  returned 
contented,  although  he  had  never  a  rise.  When  con- 
fined to  Albemarle  Street,  and  chafing  at  his  inability 
to  get  away,  he  would  sometimes  turn  over  the  leaves 
of  his  fly-book  and  derive  much  consolation  from  the 
sight  of  his  hackles  and  harles,  his  green-tails,  dun  cuts, 
red  spinners,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  deadly  paraphernalia 
associated  in  his  mmd  with  the  memories  of  pleasant 
days  and  exciting  combats.  He  greatly  prided  himself 
on  his  skill,  and  his  friends  were  often  secretly  amused 
to  notice  his  ill-concealed  chao^rin  when  a  brother-ans'ler 
outvied  him  in  the  day's  catch  or  in  the  narration  of 
some  piscatorial  triumph.  They  were  amused,  too,  at 
the  costume  wdiich  he  was  wont  to  don  on  such  occasions 
— his  broad-brimmed,  low-crowned  hat,  lined  with  green 
and  garnished  with  flies ;  his  grey-green  jacket,  with  a 
multitude  of  pockets  for  the  various  articles  of  his 
angling  gear ;  his  wading-boots  and  knee-caps— all  made 
up  an  attire  as  original  as  it  was  picturesque.  In  these 
fishing  expeditions  he  enjoyed  some  of  the  happiest 
hours  of  his  life  ;  at  such  times  he  threw  off  his  cares  and 
annoyances ;  he  was  cheerful  even  to  hilarity,  and  never 
was  his  conversation  more  sprightly  or  more  entertaining. 
In  spite  of  the  thoughtful  care  of  his  friend  Poole, 
Davy's  health  showed  no  material  improvement,  and  at 
times  his  feeling  of  despondency  was  very  great.  His 
confidence  in  his  mental  powers,  however,  never  forsook 
him.     He  said  on  one  occasion  : — 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  live,  as  far  as  I  am  personally  concerned ; 
but  I  have  views  which  I  could  develope,  if  it  please  God  to  save 
my  life,  which  would  be  useful  to  science  and  to  mankind." 


POET,  AND   PHILOSOPHER.  231 

"His  inherent  love  of  the  laboratory  (if  I  may  so  speak),"  says 
Mr.  Poole,  "  was  manifested  in  a  manner  which  much  interested 
me. at  the  moment.  On  his  visiting  with  me  a  gentleman  in  this 
neighbourhood  who  had  offered  to  let  him  his  house,  and  who  has 
an  extensive  philosophical  apparatus,  particularly  complete  in 
electricity  and  chemistry,  he  was  fatigued  by  the  journey  ;  and 
as  we  Avere  walking  round  the  house  very  languidly,  a  door 
opened,  and  we  were  in  the  laboratory.  He  threw  his  eyes  round 
the  room,  which  brightened  in  the  action— a  glow  came  over  his 
countenance,  and  he  appeared  himself  twenty  years  ago.  He 
was  surprised  and  delighted  and  seenied  to  say,  '  This  is  the 
beloved  theatre  of  my  glory.'  I  said  '  You  are  pleased.'  He 
shook  his  head  and  smiled." 

In  the  spring  he  determined  to  quit  England  for  his 
beloved  Illyria,  and  towards  the  end  of  May  arrived  by 
easy  stages  at  Wurzen.     In  his  journal  he  wrote  : — 

"  May  22.  To  my  old  haunt,  Wurzen,  which  is  sublime  in  the 
majesty  of  Alpine  grandeur  ;  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Noric  Alps 
rising  above  thunder  clouds,  whilst  spring  in  all  its  bloom  and 
beauty  blooms  below ;  its  buds  and  blossoms  adorning  the  face 
of  Nature  under  a  frowning  canopy  of  dark  clouds,  like  some 
Judith  beauty  of  Italy — a  Transteverene  brow  and  eye,  and  a 
mouth  of  Venus  and  the  Graces." 

From  Aussee  he  wrote  to  his  brother  : — 

"It  suits  me  better  to  wile  away  my  days  in  this  solitary  state 
of  existence,  in  the  contemplation  of  Nature,  than  to  attempt  to 
enter  into  London  society,  where  recollections  call  up  the  idea  of 
what  I  was,  and  the  want  of  bodily  power  teaches  me  what  a 
shadow  I  am.  ...  I  am  now  going  to  IschI,  where  there  are 
warm  salt  baths  to  try  if  they  will  renovate  the  muscular  powers 
of  my  arm  and  leg.  ...  I  wish  to  go  to  Trieste  in  October, 
to  make  the  experiments  I  have  long  projected  on  the  torjiedo." 

He  derived  some  little  benefit  from  the  treatment  at 
Ischl,  and  in  October  went  to  Trieste,  where  he  carried 
out  his  projected  experiments  on  the  electricity  of  the 
torpedo,  the  results  of  which  he  communicated  to  the 
Royal  Society.     This  paper  was  the  last  of  his  scientific 


282  HUMPHRY   DAVY. 

memoirs.  In  the  middle  of  November  he  arrived  at 
Rome,  where  he  learnt  that  Wollaston  also  had  been 
stricken  with  paralysis.*  On  February  6th,  1829,  he 
wrote  to  Poole : — 

"  I  am  here  uwayinrf  away  the  winter, — a  ruin  amongst  ruins  ! 
.  .  .  I  liope  you  got  a  co]iy  of  my  little  trifle  '  Sahiionia.'  .  .  . 
I  write  and  philosophise  a  good  deal,  and  have  nearly  finished 
a  work  with  a  higher  aim  than  the  little  book  I  speak  of  al)ove, 
which  I  shall  dedicate  to  ^u.  It  contains  the  essence  of 
my  philosophical  opinions,  and  some  of  my  poetical  reveries.  It 
is  like  the  '  Salmonia,'  an  amusement  of  my  sickness  ;  but  ^ paulo 
majora  canaiuns.'  I  sometimes  think  of  the  lines  of  Waller,  and 
seem  to  feel  their  truth — 

'  The  soul's  dark  cottage,  batter'd  and  decay'd, 
Lets  in  new  light  through  chinks  that  Time  has  made.' " 


'o' 


The  work  to  Avhich  he  here  alludes,  and  which  he 
did  not  live  to  see  printed,  was  his  "  Consolations  in 
Travel ;  or,  The  Last  Days  of  a  Philosopher."  He  had 
practically  finished  it  at  the  date  of  his  letter,  and  had 
written  in  his  journal :  "  Si  moro,  spero  che  ho  fatto  il 
mio  dovere,  e  che  mia  vita,  non  e  state  vano  ed  inutile." 
On  February  20th  he  was  seized  with  a  new  attack,  and 
his  right  side  was  quite  powerless.  On  the  23  rd  he 
dictated  the  following  letter  to  his  brother,  who  was 
then  at  Malta : — 

"Notwithstanding  all  my  care  and  discipline,  and  ascetic 
living,  I  am  dying  from  a  severe  attack  of  palsy,  which  has  seized 
the  whole  of  the  body  with  the  exception  of  the  intellectual  organ 
.  .  .  the  weakness  increases  and  a  few  hours  or  days  will 
finish  my  mortal  existence.  I  shall  leave  my  bones  in  the  Eternal 
City.  I  bless  God  that  I  have  been  able  to  finish  all  my  philo- 
sophical labours.  ...  I  hope  you  will  have  the  goodness  to 
see  these  works  published.  ...  I  have  given  you,  by  a 
codicil  to  my  will,  the  copyright  of  these  books.  .  .  .  God 
bless  you,  my  dear  .John  !     May  you  be  happy  and  prosperous  !  " 

*  He  died  on  December  22iid,  1828. 


POET   AND   PHILOSOPHER.  233 

The  letter  was  signed  by  him,  and  he  added  in  his 
own  handwriting,  only  just  legible,  "  Come  as  quickly  as 
possible." 

Two  days  afterwards  he  dictated  another  letter,  in 
which  he  gives  minute  directions  concerning  some  exper- 
iments on  the  torpedo  which  he  wished  his  brother  to 
make.  He  describes  the  apparatus  which  may  be  em- 
ployed and  indicates  where  the  torpedoes  may  be  procured, 
and  he  concludes:  "Pray  do  not  neglect  this  subject, 
which  I  leave  to  you  as  another  legacy."  It  was  the  16th 
of  March  before  Dr.  Davy  could  reach  Rome.  The 
stricken  man's  pale  and  emaciated  countenance  lighted 
up  as  he  saw  his  brother  at  his  bedside.  He  spoke  as  if  he 
had  only  a  few  hours  to  live,  and  rejected  all  expectation 
and  hope  of  recover)^  saying  he  was  sure  his  career  was  run. 

Under  the  care  and  medical  skill  of  Dr.  Davy, 
however,  he  rallied. 

"  As  he  mended,"  says  his  brothei',  "  the  sentiment  of  gratitude 
to  Divine  Providence  was  overflowing,  and  he  was  most  amiable 
and  affectionate  in  manner.  He  often  inculcated  the  propriety, 
in  regard  to  happiness,  of  the  subjugation  of  self,  in  all  selfishness, 
as  the  very  bane  of  comfort,  and  the  most  active  cause  of  the 
dereliction  of  social  duties,  and  the  destruction  of  good  and 
friendly  feelings  ;  and  he  expi-essed  frequently  the  intention,  if  his 
life  were  spared,  of  devoting  it  to  purposes  of  utility  (seeming  to 
think  lightly  of  what  he  had  already  done),  and  to  the  service  of 
his  friends,  rather  than  to  the  pursuits  of  ambition,  pleasure,  or 
happiness,  with  himself  for  their  main  object." 

But,  Dr.  Davy  adds  : — 

"  Now  that  he  was  intent  on  recovery,  he  no  longer  took  the 
same  interest  in  my  examination  of  the  torpedo,  as  if  he  looked 
forward  to  the  time  when  he  should  be  able  to  enter  into  the 
investigation  actively  again." 

At  the  beginning  of  April  Lady  Davy  arrived  from 
England,  and  he  had  so  far  improved  that  it  was  decided 


234  HUMPHRY    DAVY, 

to  remove  liiin  to  Geneva.  By  easy  stages,  and  occasional 
halts  of  two  or  three  days  at  the  more  interesting  places, 
he  arrived  at  Geneva  on  May  28th.  He  bore  the  journey 
well :  the  delightful  freshness  of  the  spring,  the  bursting 
vegetation,  the  many  streams,  the  pure  mountain  air,  and 
the  indescribable  infiuenco  of  Alpine  scenery,  seemed  to 
invigorate  him.  On  his  arrival  at  the  inn  ("La  Couronne") 
he  walked  to  the  window,  looked  out  upon  the  lake, 
and  expressed  a  longing  Avish  to  throw  a  fly  upon  its 
blue  waters.  Lady  Davy  here  broke  to  him  the  news  of 
the  death  of  his  old  friend  and  colleague,  Thomas  Young. 
This,  coming  so  soon  after  the  loss  of  Wollaston,  pro- 
foundly affected  him.  During  the  evening  he  struck 
his  elbow  against  the  projecting  arm  of  the  sofa  on 
which  he  sat ;  the  blow  gave  him  great  pain,  and  seemed 
to  have  the  most  extraordinary  effect.  He  Avas  got  to 
bed  as  soon  as  possible.  He  took  an  anodyne,  and 
desired  to  be  left  alone.  Soon  after  midnight  he  Avas 
found  to  be  insensible,  and  shortly  before  three  on  the 
morning  of  the  29th  of  May  he  died.  In  his  Avill  he  had 
enjoined  that  he  should  be  buried  Avhere  he  died : 
Nahira  curat  suas  reliquias,  he  had  Avritten. 

The  City  gave  him  a  public  funeral,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  e\^ery  institution  in  the  toAvn  folloAved  his 
remains  to  their  resting-place  in  the  cemetery  at  Plain- 
Palais.  A  simple  monument,  Avith  the  folloAving 
inscription,  marks  the  spot : — 

HiC    .TACET 

HUMPHRY   DAVY 
Eques  Magn.'e  Britaxni.t:  Baronetus 
Olim  Regime  Societ.  Londin.Pk.s:ses 

SuMMfS    ARCAXORfM    NaTURJE    INDICATOR. 

Natvs  Pexzaxti-e  Cornubiessum  XVII  Decemb.  MDCCLXXYIII. 
Obiit  Genevje  Helvetiorum  XXIX  Mai  MDCCCXXIX. 


POET   AXD   PHILOSOPHER.  235 

His  widow  placed  a  tablet  to  his  memory  in  tlie 
nortli  transept  of  Westminster  Abbey.  His  baronetcy 
died  with  him.  By  his  will  he  directed  that  the  service 
of  plate  given  to  him  by  the  coal-owners  should,  after 
Lady  Davj^'s  death,  pass  to  his  brother,  and  that  in  the 
event  of  his  having  no  heirs  in  a  position  to  make  use  of 
it,  it  should  be  melted  and  given  to  the  Koyal  Society, 
"  to  found  a  medal  to  be  given  annually  for  the  most 
imjDortant  discovery  in  chemistry  anywhere  made  in 
Europe  or  Anglo-America."  This  is  the  origin  of  the 
Davy  Medal  which  has  been  awarded  annually  by  the 
Society  since  1877. 

Many  eloquent  tributes  have  been  paid  to  the  genius 
and  labours  of  Davy,  and  some  of  these  eulogies  are 
among  the  most  brilliant  passages  in  the  literature  of 
science.  One  of  the  best-known  is  from  the  gifted 
pen  of  Dr.  Henry  in  the  preface  to  his  "  Elements  of 
Chemistry,"  published  soon  after  Davy's  death.  He 
thus  sketches  the  more  striking  characteristics  of  the 
great  chemist. 

"  Davy,"  he  says,  "  was  imbued  with  the  spirit,  and  was  a 
master  of  the  practice,  of  the  inductive  logic  ;  and  he  has  left  us 
some  of  the  noblest  examples  of  the  efficacy  of  that  great  instru- 
ment of  human  reason  in  the  discovery  of  truth.  He  applied  it 
not  only  to  connect  classes  of  facts  of  more  limited  extent  and 
importance  but  to  develope  great  and  comprehensive  laws,  which 
embrace  phenomena  that  are  almost  universal  to  the  natural 
world.  In  explaining  these  laws,  he  cast  upon  them  the  illumina- 
tions of  his  own  clear  and  vivid  conceptions  ; — he  felt  an  intense 
admiration  of  the  beauty,  order  and  harmony  which  are  con- 
spicuous in  the  perfect  chemistry  of  Nature  ; — and  he  expressed 
these  feelings  with  a  force  of  eloquence  which  could  issue  only 
from  a  mind  of  the  highest  powers  and  of  the  finest  sensibilities." 

Not  less  forcible  or  eloquent,  although  hardly  so  well 
known,  is  the  estimate  in  Silliman's  American  Journal 


'2'M)  HlMl'lIUY    DAVY, 

of  Science  ami  A  rts  for  January,  1830.    After  an  analysis 
of  Davy's  mental  attributes  the  writer  concludes  : — 

"We  look  upon  Sir  Humphry  Davy  as  having  afforded  a 
striking  example  of  wliat  the  Romans  called  a  ma7i  of  good  fortune ; 
—whose  success,  even  in  their  view,  was  not  however  the  result 
(^f  accident,  but  of  ingenuity  and  wisdom  to  devise  plans,  and  of 
skill  and  industry  to  bring  them  to  a  successful  issue.  He  was 
fortunate  in  his  theories,  fortunate  in  his  discoveries,  and  fortunate 
in  living  in  an  age  sufficiently  enlightened  to  appreciate  his  merits  ; 
—unlike,  in  this  last  particular,  to  Newton,  who  (says  Voltaire),  al- 
though he  lived  forty  years  after  the  publication  of  the  Principia, 
had  not,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  twenty  readers  out  of  Britain. 
Some  might  even  entertain  the  apprehension  that  so  extensive  a 
popularity  among  his  contemporaries  is  the  presage  of  a  short-lived 
fame  ;  but  his  reputation  is  too  intimately  associated  with  the 
eternal  laws  of  Nature  to  suffer  decay ;  and  the  name  of  Davy, 
like  those  of  Archimedes,  Galileo  and  Newton,  which  grow  greener 
by  time,  will  descend  to  the  latest  posterity." 

Such,  then,  is  the  story  of  a  life  of  fruitful  endeavour 
and  splendid  achievement ; — the  record  of  one  who,  if 
not  wholly  good  or  truly  noble,  has  left  a  track  of 
greatness  in  his  passage  through  the  world. 


I^DEX. 


Address  from  AVhitehaven  colliers 

to  Davy,  203 
Agriculture,    Davy's    lectures    on, 

94  et  seq.  ;  165 
Alkali  metals.   Isolation    of,    114, 

116;  their  properties,  118 
Alkaline  earths,  Decomposition  of, 

126 
Ammonia :    Davy's   conjectures  as 

to  its  nature,  121 
Ammonium     amalgam  :       Davy's 

views  as  to  its  nature,  127 
Ammonium  nitrate,  Modes  of  de- 
composition of,  43 
"Annual  Anthology,  The,"  18,  57 
Apreece,  Mrs.,  159,  162 


Bahington,     Dr.,     his     character, 

224 
Bakerian  lecture.  Origin  of,  100 
Banks,  Sir  Joseph,  his  opinion  of 
the   Royal   Institution,    80 ;    his 
accoimt     of    Davy's     courtship, 
162  ;  his  opinion  of  DaA^y,  213; 
death  of,  212 
Beddoes,  Mrs.,  28 

,     Thomas,     23 ;     letters     to 

Davies  Gilbert,  24,  25 ;  engages 
Davy  as    chemist  to  the  Pneu- 
matic Institution,  25 ;  his  testi- 
mony to  Davy's  originality,  32 ; 
his  end,  6o 
Bernard,  Thomas,  66,  67,  80 
BerthoUet,  Davy's  account  of,  179; 
his    theory    of     the    nature    of 
chlorine,  136,  144 
Berzelius,  Jakob,  94,  109,  143,  154 
Bonaparte's  medal  for  discoveries 
in  galvanism  awarded  to  Davy, 
109 


Borlase,  Bingham,  15,  25 

Boron,  Isolation  of,  129 

Brande,  William  Thomas,  succeeds 

Davy  as  Professor  of  Chemistry 

in  the  Royal  Institution,  176 
Brownrigg,   Lady,  her  account  of 

Davy,  111 
Buddie,  John,  194,  195,  201,  204, 

209  ;  letter  to  Davy,  201 


Garde w.  Dr.,  Master  of  Truro 
Grammar  School,  his  opinion  of 
Davy  as  a  boy,  12 

Chlorine,  Discovery  of,  by  Scheele, 
136  ;  its  nature,  134  et  seq. ;  con- 
troversy as  to  its  nature,  143  ; 
its  bleaching  power  explained, 
149  ;  its  liquefaction  by  North- 
more,  149  ;  by  Faraday,  149 

compounds,  Davy's  nomen- 
clature of,  149 

Chlorophosphamide,  138 

Coal-owners'  Testimonial  to  Davy, 
205,  208 

Coleridge,  Samuel  Taylor,  his 
opinion  of  Davy,  18,  55,  57,  88; 
letters  to  Davy,  57,  58,  59 ;  letter 
to  Purkis,  88 

Colouring  matters  of  the  Ancients, 
Investigation  of,  by  Daw,  185, 
187 

"  Consolations  in  Travel,"  232 

Copley  medal  awarded  to  Davy, 
213 

Cory  ton,  Mr.,  Master  of  Penzance 
Grammar  School,  his  methods  of 
tuition,  12,  13,53 

Cottle,  Amos,  his  account  of  Davy, 
55 

Cuvier,  Davy's  account  of,  178 


238 


INDEX. 


Piivy :  Ilis  Liitli,  9 ;  becomes 
chemist  to  the  I'nciimatic  Insti- 
tution, 2") ;  pfocs  to  the  Royal 
Institution,  G3  ;  his  vii'ws  on  the 
Atomic  Theory,  140,  147  ;  mar- 
riage, 163;  is  knighted,  1G4;  is 
elected  a  memher  of  the  Institute, 
179;  is  created  a  baronet,  211; 
his  illness,  221,  224  ;  death,  234  ; 
burial,  234  ;  his  character,  235, 
236  ;  as  an  angler,  158,  159,  229  ; 
as  a  lecturer,  71,  73  et  seq.,  84, 
86  ;  as  a  man  of  society,  87,  115; 
as  a  poet,  17,  18,  19,  125,  179 

Davy's  letters  :  To  Mrs.  Apreece, 
159,  160,  161;  to  Mr.  Children, 
168,  223  ;  to  Lady  Davy,  226, 
227,  228  ;  to  Dr.  John  Davy, 
163,  165,  183,  222,  231,  232  ; 
to  Faraday,  174;  to  ]\Ir.  Da  vies 
Gilbert,  29,  40,  51,  63,  85,  228; 
to  Dr.  Gray,  195,  197  ;  to  Rev. 
Mr.  Hodgson,  196  ;  to  Dr.  Hope, 
62,  69;  to  his  mother,  13,  26, 
27,  52,  62,  79,  158,  163,  176, 
188,  211,  223  ;  to  Ma-.  Poole,  88, 
214,  225,  228,  232;  to  his  sisters, 
116 

nomenclature  of  chlorine  com- 
pounds, 149 

Davy  medal.  The,  235 

,  Edmund,  cousin  of  Humphry 

Davy,  114,  123,  133 

Edmund,    grandfather     of 


Humphry  Davy,  10 
— ,    Lady,   her   character,     189, 
190, 191 
-,  Robert,  father  of  Humphry 


Davy,  9,  10 
Diamond,  Davy's  investigation  of 

nature  of,  184 
Dibdin,   Dr.,   his    address   on   the 

occasion  of  Davy's  illness,  123 


Edgeworth,  Maria,  her  account  of 
the  respiratory  action  of  nitrous 
oxide,  41  ;  her  account  of  Davy's 
visit  to  Ireland,  112,  158;  on 
Mrs.  Apreece,  165 

Electro-chemical  Theory  of  Da\-5', 
106 


Electrolytic  decomposition  of  water. 
Discovery  of,  by  Nicholson  and 
Carlisle,  "90 

Electro-magnetism,  Davy's  contri- 
butions to,  218 

"Elements  of  Chemical  Philos- 
ophj',"  Davy's,  167 

Euchlorine,  142,  151 


Faraday,  IMichael,  attends  Davy's 
lectures,  143 ;  joins  the  Royal 
Institution,  173;  his  letters  to 
Abbott  concerning  Davy,  188, 
189  ;  his  relations  to  Davy,  220 

"  Fidelissima,"  her  sonnets  to  Davy, 
78 

Firedamp  explosions,  193 

Flame,  Davy's  investigations  on, 
209 

Fluorine,  Attempts  to  isolate,  by 
Davy,  170 

theory.  The,  172  et  seq. 

"  Fuming  liquor  of  Cadet,"  Davy's 
investigation  of,  132 


Garnett  Thomas,   first  lecturer   in 

the  Royal  Institution,  68 
Gay   Lussac,    Davy's   account   of, 

179 
Gilbert,    Davies    (Davies   Giddy), 

21,  22 
Gray,    Rev.    Dr.,   his    association 

with  Davy,  195,  197 


Heat  a  mode  of  motion,  32 
"Heat,   Light,  and  the  Combina- 
tions of  Light,"  30,  37 
Hippesley,  Sir  John,  69,  80 
Hodgson,  Rev.  Mr.,  his  association 

with  Davy,  194,  196,  201 
Horner,    Francis,   his   opinion    of 

Davj'  as  a  lecturer,  77 
Humboldt,  Davy's  account  of,  178 
Hydrogen   chloride,    Sj'nthesis  of,, 
by  Cruickshank,  139 


lodates,    Davy's   investigation   of, 
184 


INDEX, 


239 


Iodine,  Discovery  of,  by  Courtois, 
180;  investigation  of,  by  Clement, 

.  180  ;  by  Davy,  180  et  seq. ;  by 
Gay  Lussac,  180 

Ireland,  Davy's  views  on,  112;  his 
lectures  in,  156  et  seq. 


Lavoisier's  "  Elements  " — charac- 
ter as  a  text-book,  19 

"  Liquor  of  Libavius,"  Action  of 
ammonia  on,  studied  by  Davy, 
137 

Lockhart's  account  of  Davy,  110, 
217 


Nitrogen  believed  by  Davy  to  be 

a  compound,  132  et  seq. 
chloride.  Investigation  of,  bj' 

Davy,  168;  its  explosion  injiu'es 

Davy,  169 

oxides,  Davy's  work  on,  42, 


45 

Nitrosulphonic  acid,  154 

Nitrous  oxide,  discovery  of  its 
respirability,  41,  46,  49 ;  com- 
position of,  45  ;  effect  of  breath- 
ing, 49 


Oxymuriatic  acid,  Davy's  memoir 
on,  134 


Papyri,  Davy's  attempts  to  unroll, 

211 
Penzance,  State   of  society  in,  at 

close  of  18th  century,  14 
Phosoxygen,  30,  33,  35,  37 
Phospham,  138 

Phosphorous  acid  and  oxide,  153 
chlorides  discovered  by  Davy, 

129,  152;  action  of  ammonia  on, 

137;  action  of   water   on,    140; 

analysis  of,  153 
Potassamide,  Preparation  of,  129 
Pneumatic  Institution,  Bristol,  23, 

27,  29 
Potassium,  Isolation  of,  114  et  seq., 

116  ei  seq. ;  properties  of,  116 
Priestley,  Joseph,  38 


Purkis,  Mr.,  his  account  of  Davy's 
lectures,  77 


Royal  Institution,  The,  its  origin 
and  character,  66,  79  ;  its  chem- 
ical laboratory,  90,  133  ;  minutes 
of  Managers,  63,  72,  166,  175, 
176 

medals,  the,    Institution  of, 

216 

Society,  Davy's  election  into 

the,  213;  becomes  Secretary,  112; 
becomes  President,  214 ;  his 
views  of  its  functions,  215 

Rumford,  his  theory  of  heat,  32; 
founds  the  Royal  Institution, 
66  ;  visit  of  Davy  to,  at  i^uteuii, 
177 

medal  awarded  to  Davy,  213 


Safety  lamp,  its  invention,  192  et 
seq.  ;  account  of,  by  Playfair, 
203 

'<  Salmonia,"  Account  of,  229 

Scheele,  discoverer  of  chlorine,  136 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  his  friendship 
for  Lady  Dav}%  162  ;  his  friend- 
ship for  Davy,  217 

Ship-sheathing,  Davy's  experi- 
ments on,  222 

Siles  in  plants,  39 

Sodium,  Isolation  of,  118;  proper- 
ties of,  119 

Southey,  Robert,  his  opinion  of 
Davy,  18,  55,  56  ;  letter  to  Daw, 
56 

Steel-mill,  The,  193 

Stephenson,  George,  his  attempts 
to  make  a  safe  lamp,  205 


Tanning,  Lectures  on,  72 
Telluretted    hydrogen.     Discovery 

of,  by  Dav}',  131 
Tepidarians,  The,  75,  78 
Ticknor's   account   of  Davy,   190; 

of  Lady  Davj^  190 
Tonkin,  John,  Davy's  benefactor, 

9,  13,  20,  25,  53 
Torpedo,  Electricity  of,  183,  231 


240 


INDEX. 


Trinity  Coll(\t!:.\  Piiblin,  confers 
honorary  LL.D.  on  Davy,  158 

ViiiKiui'lin,  Davy's  account  of,  178 
Vi'siiviiis,  ]')avv's  investigations  on, 

IS.-),  187,  2 12 
Yolta,    Davy's    account    of,    18G ; 

Faraday's  account  of,  188 
A'oltaic  cioctrii-itv,   Davy's  contri- 

liutions  to,  93,  99,  100,  113,  114, 

126,  131 
pile,  Discovery  of,  90,  93 

Warington,  Professor,  his  estim- 
ate of  Davy  as  an  agricultural 
chemist,  98 


Watt,  Gregory,  his  character,  21, 
52 

Wavellite,  Davy's  analysis  of.  94 

"West  Country  Collection,"  30; 
characteristics  of  Davy's  con- 
tributions to,  37 

Wollaston,  William  Hyde,  charac- 
ter of,  214,  217  ;  his  death,  232 

Wordsworth  meets  Davy  on  Hel- 
vellyn,  110 

Young,  Thomas,  his  connection 
with  the  Royal  Institution,  72  ; 
his  I'cview  of  Davy's  "  Elements 
of  Chemical  Philosophy,"  167  ; 
death  of,  234 


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Gazetteer   of  Great   Britain   and    Ireland,    Cassell's.      Illustrated. 

Vols.  I.  II.  and  III.     7s.  6d.  each. 
Gleanings  from    Popular  Authors.     Two   Vols.     With   Original   Illus- 
trations.    4to,  gs.  each.     Two  Vols,  in  One,  15s. 
Gulliver's  Travels.    With  88  Engravings  by  Morten.     Cheap  Edition. 

Cloth,  3s.  6d.  ;  cloth  gilt,  5s. 
Gun  and  its   Development,   The.     By   W.   W.   Greener.     With   500 

Illustrations.     los.  6d. 
Heavens,  The  Story  of  the.     By  Sir  Robert  Stawell  Ball,  LL.  D., 
F.R.S.,  F.R.A.S.    With  Coloured  Plates.     Popular  Edition.     12s. 6d. 
Highway  of  Sorrow,  The.     By  Hesba  Stretton  and  ***•♦**•    6s. 


Selections  from  Cassell  ^  Company's  Publications. 


Hispaniola  Plate  (1683-1893).     By  John  Bi.oundelle-Burton.    6s. 
History,    A    Foot-note    to.     Eight   Years  of  Trouble   in   Samoa.     By 

KllllKKI'    I.CH'IS    Si  K.VKNSDN.       6s. 

Home  Life  of  the  Ancient  Greeks,  The.  Translated  by  Ai.iCE 
ZiMMKKN.     Illustrated.     Cheap  luHtion.    5s. 

Horse,  The  Book  of  the.  By  Samukl  Sidnev.  With  17  Full-page 
Collotype  I'l.Ttes  of  Celebrated  Horses  of  the  Day,  and  numerous 
other  Illustrations.     Cloth,  15s. 

Horses  and  Dogs.  By  O.  Eerelman.  Witli  Descriptive  Text.  Trans- 
lated from  the  Dutch  by  Clara  Bell  With  Photogiavure  Frontis- 
piece, 12  Exquisite  Collotypes,  and  .several  full  page  and  other  engrav- 
ings in  the  text.     25s.  net. 

Houpnton,  Lord  :  The  Life,  Letters,  and  Friendships  of  Richard 
Monckton  Milnes,  First  Lord  Houghton.  By  Sir  VVemvss 
Rkid.     In  Two  Vols.,  with  Two  Portraits.     32s. 

Household,  Cassell's  Book  of  the.  Complete  in  Four  Vols.  5s.  each. 
Four  Vols,  in  Two,  half- morocco,  25s. 

Hygiene  and  Public  Health.  By  B.  Arthur  Whitelegge,  M.D.  7s.  6d. 

Impregnable  City,  The.     By  Max  Pemberton.    6s. 

Iron   Pirate,  The.     By  Max  Prmhekton.     Illustrated.     5s. 

Island  Nights'  Entertainments.    By  R.  L.  Steve.n.son.    Illustrated.  6s. 

Kennel  Guide,  The  Practical.     By  Dr.  Gordon  Stables,     is. 

Khiva,  A  Ride  to.  By  Col.  Fred  Burnaby.  Neiv  Edition.  With 
Portrait  and  Seven  Illustrations.     3s.  6d. 

King  George,  In  the  Days  of.     By  Col.  Percy  Groves.     !Ud.     is.  6d. 

Ladies'  Physician,  The.  By  a  London  Physician.  Cheap  Edition, 
Revised  and  Enlarged.     3s.  6d. 

Lady  Biddy  Fane,  The  Admirable.  By  Frank  Barrett.  New 
Edition.     With  12  Full-page  Illustrations.     6s. 

Lady's  Dressing-room,  The.  Translated  from  the  French  of  Baroness 
Staffs  by  Lady  Colin  Campbell.     Cheap  Edition,  2S.  6d. 

Letters,  The  Highway  of,  and  its  Echoes  of  Famous  Footsteps. 
By  Thomas  Archer.     Illustrated.     Cheap  Edition,  ss. 

Letts's  Diaries  and  other  Time-saving  Publications  published 
exclusively  by  Cassell  &  Company.    (A  list  free  on  applic<itioii.) 

'Lisbeth.     A  Novel.     By  Leslie  Keith.      6s. 

Little  Minister,  The.     By  J.  M.  Barrie.     Illustrated  Edition.      6s. 

Locomotive  Engine,  The  Biography  of  a.    By  Henry  Frith.    3s.  Cd. 

Loftus,  Lord  Augustus,  The  Diplomatic  Reminiscences  of.  Fir^t 
and  Second  Series.     Two  Vols.,  e.ich  with  Portrait,  32s.  each  Series. 

London,  Greater.  By  Edward  VValford.  Two  Vols.  With  about 
400  Illustrations,     gs.  each. 

London,  Old  and  New.  Six  Vols.,  each  containing  about  200 
Illustrations  and  Maps.     Cloth,  gs.  each. 

London,  Cassell's  Guide  to.     With  Numerous  Illustrations.     6d. 

London,  The  Queen's.     With  nearly  400  superb  Views,     gs. 

Lost  on  Du  Corrig  ;  or,  'Twixt  Earth  and  Ocean.  By  Standi,-h 
O'Grady.     With  8  Full-page  Illustrations.     5s. 

Loveday  :  A  Tale  of  a  Stirring  Time.  By  A.  E.  Wickham.  Illus- 
trated.    6s. 

Manchester,  Old  and  New.     By  William  Arthur  Shaw,  M.A.    With 

Original  Illustrations.     Three  Vols.,  31s.  6d. 
Medicine,  Manuals  for  Students   of.    (A  List  for^varded  post  free.) 
Modern    Europe,    A    History   of.      By   C.    A.    Fvffe,    M.A.     Cheap 

Edition  in  One  I'olume, 10s.  td.   Library  Edition.  Illustrated.   3  Vols., 

7s.  6d.  each. 
Mrs.  Cliff's  Yacht.     By  Frank  Stockton.     Illustrated.    6s. 


J 


Selections  from  Cassell  iS,-  Company's  Publications. 


Music,  Illustrated  History  of.     By  Emil  Naumann.      Edited  by  the 

Rev.  Sir  F.  A.  Gore  Ouseley,  Bart.  Illustrated.  Two  Vols.  31s.  6d. 
National  Library,  Cassell's.    In  214  Volumes.     Paper  covers,  3d. ;  cloth, 

6d.     {^A  Complete  List  of  the  Volumes  post  free  on  application.) 
Natural    History,    Cassell's    Concise.      By    E.   Perceval  Wright, 

M.A.,  M.D.,  F.L.S.     With  several  Hundred  Illustrations.     7s.  6d. 
Natural    History,    Cassell's    New.      Edited    by    Prof.    P.    Martin 

Duncan,  M.B.,  F.R.S.,  F.G.S.     Complete  in  Six  Vols.     With  about 

2.000  Illustrations.     Cloth,  gs.  each. 
Nature's  Wonder  Workers.   By  Kate  R.  Lovell.    Illustrated.    3s.  6d. 
New    Zealand,  Pictorial.      With    Preface    by    Sir    W.   B.    Perceval, 

K.C.M.G.     Illustrated.     6s. 
Nursing  for  the   Home   and    for  the    Hospital,   A   Handbook  of. 

By  Catherine  J.  Wood.     Cheap  Edition,     is.  6d.  ;  cloth,  2s. 
Nursing  of  Sick  Children,   A  Handbook  for  the.      By  Catherine 

J.  Wood.     2s.  6d. 
Oil  Painting,  A  Manual  of.     By  the  Hon.  John  Collier.    2s.  6d. 
Old  Maids  and  Young.     By  Els.\  D'Esterre-Keeling.     6s. 
Old  Boy's  Yarns,  An.     By  Harold  Avkry.     With  8  Plates.     3s.  6d. 
Our  Own  Country.    Six  Vols.    With  1,200  Illustrations.     7s.  6d.  each. 
Painting,  The  English   School  of.      Cheap  Edition.     3s.  6d. 
Painting,  Practical  Guides  to.     With  Coloured  Plates  :— 

Marine  Painting,  5s.  ;  Animal  Painting,  5s.  :  China 
Painting,  5s.  ;  Figure  Painting,  7s.  6d.  ;  Elementary 
Flower  Painting,  3s.  ;  Water-Colour  Painting,  5s.  ; 
Neutral  Tint,  5s.;  Sepia,  in  Two  Vols.,  3s.  each,  or  in  One 
Vol.,  5s.  ;  Flowers,  and  How  to  Paint  Them,  5s. 
Paris,  Old  and   New.     Profusely  Illustrated.     In  Two  Vols.,  gs.  each; 

or  gilt  edges,  los.  6d.  each. 
Parliament,    A    Diary    of  the    Home    Rule,    1892-95.       By    H.    W. 

Lucy.     ios.  6d. 
Peoples  of  the  World,  The.     In  Six  Vols.     By  Dr.  Robert  Brown. 

Illustrated.     7s.  5d.  each. 
Photography  for  Amateurs.     By  T.  C.   Hepworth.      Enlarged  and 

Revised  Edition.     Illustrated.     IS.  ;  or  cloth,  is.  6d. 
Phrase  and  Fable,  Dr.  Brewer's  Dictionary  of.      Entirely  ISleiu  ana 

Greatly  Enlarged  Edition.     ios.6d.     Also  in  half  morocco. 
Picturesque  America.     Complete  in  Four  Vols.,  with  4S  Exquisite  Steel 

Plates    and    about    800   Original   Wood   Engravings.      £12  12s.     the 

set.     Popular  Edition,  Vols.   I.,  II.,  &  III.,  18s.  each. 
Picturesque   Australasia,    Cassell's.       With  Upwards   of  1,000  Illus- 
trations.    In  Four  Vols.,  7s.  6d.  each.  [the  Set. 
Picturesque  Canada.    With  600  Original  Illustrations.  Two  Vols.    ;(^9  cs. 
Picturesque    Europe.        Complete    in     Five    Vols.       Each     contauiing 

13   Exquisite   Steel    Plates,   from  Original    Drawings,  and   nearly  200 

Original   Illustrations.     Cloth,   £21.       Popular     Edition.     In    Five 

Vols.,  iSs.  each 
Picturesque  Mediterranean, The.  With  Magnificent  Original  Illustrations 

by  the  leading  Artists  of  the  Day.  Complete  in  Two  Vols.  £^2  2s.  each. 
Pigeon  Keeper,  The  Practical.  By  Lewis  Wright.  Illustrated.  3s.  6d. 
Pigeons,    Fulton's    Book    of.      Edited  by  Lewis  Wright.      Revised, 

Enlarged  and  supplemented   by  the   Rev.   W.   F.  Lumlev.     With   50 

Full  page   Illustrations.     Popular  Edition,  los.  6d.     Original  Edition, 

with   50   Coloured  Plates  and  Numerous  Wood-Engrivings.     21s. 
Planet,  The  Story  of  Our.      By  the  Rev.    Prof.  Bonney,  F.R.S.,  etc. 

With  Coloured  Plates  and  Maps  and  about  100  Illustrations.     Cheap 

Edition.     103.  6d. 
Pocket  Library,  Cassell's.     Cloth,  is.  4d.  each. 

A  King's  Diary.  By  P?rcy  White,  a  White  Baby.  By  James 
Wel-jH.  The  Little  Huguenot.  By  MAX  Pe.mberton.  A  Whirl 
Asunder.  By  Gertrude  Atherton.  Lady  Bonnie's  Experimeut. 
By  TIGHB  HOPKINS.    The  Paying  Guest.    By  Geokgh  Giss  ng. 


Selections  from  Cussell  i;  Company's  Publications. 


Portrait  Gallery,  The  Cabinet.  Complete  in  Five  Series,  each  containing 

36  Cabinet  I'liotoRiaph^  of  Kminiiu  Men  and  Women.     15s.  each. 
Portrait  Gallery,   Casscll's    Universal.     Containing    240   Portraits   of 

Celebrated    Men   and   Women    of  the   Day.     Cloth,  6s. 
Poultry  Keeper,  The  Practical.      By  L.  Wright.     Illustrated.    3s.  6d. 
Poultry,  The  Book  of.     By  Lkwis  Wkight     Popular  HJition.    ios.6d. 
Poultry,  The    Illustrated    Book  of.     By  Lewis  Wkight.     With  Fifty 

Coloured  Plates.     Nciv  and  Revised  EJitton.      Cloth,  gilt  edges,  21s. 

Half-morocco  {Price  on  aff-lication). 

"Punch,"  The   History  of.    By  M.  H.  Stielmann.    With  nearly  170 
Illnstrations,    Portraits,   and    Facsimiles.     Cloth,    i6s.  ;    Large   Paper 
Edition,  £2  2S.  net. 
Puritan's  Wife,  A.     By  Max  Pembhrton.     Illustrated.    6s. 
Q's  Works,  Uniform  Edition  of.    5s.  each. 

Dead  Man's  Rock.  The  Splendid  Spur.  The  Blvie  Pavilions. 
The  Astonishing  History  ot  Troy  Town.  "I  Saw  Three  Ships." 
and  other  Winter's  Tales.  Noughts  and  Crosses.  The  Delectable 
Duchy. 
Queen  Summer  ;  or,  The  Tourney  of  the  Lily  and  the  Rose.  With  Forty 
Pages  of  Designs  in  Colours  by  Walter  Crane.     6s. 

Queen  Victoria,  The  Life  and  Times  ot.    By  Rouert  Wilson.    Com- 
plete in  Two  Vols.     With  numerous  Illustrations,     gs.  each. 

Queen's  London,  The.      Containing   nearly    400   Exquisite   Views    ol 
London  and  its  Environs.     Cloth,  gs. 

Queen's  Scarlet,  The.     By  G.  Manville  Fbnn.     Illustrated.    3s.  6d. 
Rabbit-Keeper,  The  Practical.     By  Cuniculus.     Illustrated.     3s.  6d. 
Railways,  Our.     Their    Origin,   Development,   Incident,  and  Romance. 

By  John  Pendleton.     Illustrated.     2  Vols.,  12s. 

Railway  Guides,  Official  Illustrated.     With  Illustrations,  Maps,  &c. 

Price  IS.  each;  or  in  cloth,  2s.  each. 

London  and  North  Western  Railway,  Great  Western  Railway, 

Midland  Railway,  Great  Northern  Railway,  Great  Eastekn 

Railway,   London    and   South    Western    Railway,    London, 

Brighton  and  South  Coast  Railway,  South-Eastern  Railway. 

Railway  Guides,  Official  Illustrated.    Abridged  and  Popular  Editions. 
Paper  covers,  3d.  each. 

Great  Eastern  Railway,  London  and  North  Western  Railway, 
London  and  South  Western  Railway,  Great  Western  Rail- 
way, Midland  Railway,  Great  Northern  Raiiway,  London, 
Brighton  and  South  Coast  Railway,  South  Eastern  Railway. 
Rivers   of   Great    Britain  :     Descriptive,  Historical,  Pictorial. 
The  Royal  River  :  The  Thames,  from  Source  to  Sea.     i6s. 
Rivers  op  the  East  Coast.     Popular  Edition,  i6s. 
Robinson     Crusoe,     Cassell's     New    Fine-Art    Edition.     7s.   6d. 

Chi'ap  Edition,  3s    6d.  or  5s. 
Rogue's  March,  The.     By  E.  W.  Hornung.     6s, 
Royal    Academy    Pictures,    1835.     With   upwards  of   200  magnificent 

reproductions  of  Pictures  in  the  Royal  Academy  of  1895.     7s.  6d. 
Russo-Turkish  War,  Cassell's    History  of.     With    about    500    Illus- 
trations.    Two  Vols.,  gs.  each.     Ne7u  Edition,  Vo\.  I.,  ^s. 
Sala,  George  Augustus,  The  Life  and  Adventures  of.      By  Himself. 
Library  Edition,  in  Two  Vols.,  32s.     Cheap  Edition,  One  Vol.,  7s  6d. 

Saturday  Journal,  Cassell's.     Yearly  Volume,  cloth,  7s.  6d. 


Selections  from  Cassell  ^  Company's  Publications. 


Science  Series,  The  Century.  Consisting  of  Biographies  of  Eminent 
Scientific  Men  of  the  present  Century.  Edited  by  Sir  Henry  Roscoe, 
D.C.L.,  F.R.S.     Crown  8vo,  3s.  6d.  each. 

John  Dalton  nnd  the  Rise  of  Modern  Chemistry.    By  Sir  Henrv  E. 
Roscoe,  F.R.S.  ,    ,     „  ^        t. 

Major   Rennell,    F.R.S.,  and    the   Rise    of  English    Geography.      By 

Clements  R.  MARKHAM.C.B., F.R.S. 
Justus  Von  Liebig  :  His  Life  and  Work.     By  W.  A.  Shenstone.  F.I.C. 
The  Hersehels  and  Modern  Astronomy.     By  Miss  AGNES  M.  Clerke. 
Charles  Lvell   and  Moieru  Geologv.     By  Professor  T.  G.  BONNEY,  F.R.S. 
J.  Clerk  Maxwell  and  Modern  Phvsies.    Bv  R.  T.  Glazebkook,  F.R.S. 
Sir  Humphry  Davy,  Foet  and  Philosopher.    By  T.  E.  THORPE,  F.R.S. 
Charles  Darwin  and  the  Theory  of  Natural  Selection.    By  Edward  B 
POULTON,  M.A.,  F.R.S. 

Science  for  All.  Edited  by  Dr.  Robert  Brown.  Five  Vols.  gs.  each. 
Scotland,  Picturesque  and  Traditional.  By  G.  E.  Evre-Todd.  6s. 
Sea,  The  Story  of  the.     An  Entirely  New  and  Origiral  Work.     Edited 

by  Q.     Illustrated.     In  Two  Vols.,  gs.  each. 
Sea-Wolves,  The.     By  Max  Pemberton.     Illustrated.     6s. 
Sentimental  Tommy.     By  J.  M.  Barrje.     6s 
Shaftesbury,  The  Seventh  Earl  of,  K.G.,  The  Life  and  Work  of.  By 

Edwin  HoDDEK.     Clieap  Editioi.    3s.  6d. 
Shakespeare,  The    Plays  of.     Edited  by  Professor   Henry   Morlev. 

Complete  in  Thirteen  Vols.,  cloth,  21s.  ;   also  39  Vols.,  rloth,  in  box, 

21S.  ;  half-morocco,  cloth  sides,  42s. 
Shakespeare,  Cassell's  Quarto   Edition.     Containing  about  600  Illus- 
trations by  H.  C.  Selous.     Complete  in  Three  Vols.,  cloth  gilt,  £3  3s. 
Shakespeare,  The  England  of.     New  Edition.     By  E.  Goadby.    With 

Full-page  Illustrations.     2s.  6d. 
Shakspere's  Works.     Edition  de  Luxe. 

"  King  Henry   VIII."      Illustrated   by   Sir   James   Linton,    P.R.I. 
(Price  on  n/>/>licaiion.) 

"Othello."     Illustrated  by  Frank  DicKSEE,  R  A.     £3  los. 

"  King  Henry  IV."     Illustrated  by  Eduard  Gkutzner.     £3103. 

"As  You  Like  It."     Illustrated  by  Emile  Bayard.     £3103. 
Shakspere,    The    Leopold.      With    400    Illustrations.     Cheap  Edition. 

3s.  6d.     Cloth  gilt,  gilt  edges,  5s.  ;   Ro.\burgh,  7s.  6d. 
Shakspere,    The    Royal.     With   Steel    Plates   and   Wood   Engravings. 

Three  Vols.     15s.  each. 
Sketches,   The    Art   of   Making   and    Using.      From  the   French  ot 

G.  Fraipont.     By  Clara  Bell.     With  50  Illustrations.     2S.  6d. 
Social  England.     A  Record  of  the  Progress  of  the  People.     By  various 

writers.  Edited  by  H.  D.Traill,  D.C.L.  Vols.  I.,  II.,  &  III.,  15s.  each. 

Vols.  IV.  &  v.,  17s.  each.     Vol.  VI.,  18s. 
Songs   for   Soldiers   and    Sailors.     By  John    Farmer.     5s.      Words 

only,  6d. 
Sports  and  Pastimes,  Casseil's  Complete  Book  of.     Cheafi  Edition. 

With  more  than  qoo  Illustrations.   Medium  8vo,  992  pages,  cloth,  3s.  6d. 
Star-Land.      By  Sir  R.  S.  Ball,  LL.D.,  &c.     Illustrated.    6s. 
Story  of  Francis  Cludde,  The.     By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.   6s. 
Story  of  my  Life,  The.     By  Sir  Richard  Te.mile.    Two  Vols.  21s. 
Sun,  The.      By  Sir  Robert  Stawell  Ball,  LL.D.,   F.R.S.,  F.R.A.S. 

With  Eight  Coloured  Plates  and  other  Illustrations.     21s. 

The  "  Treasure  Island"    Series.     Illustrated  Edition.     3s.  6d.  each. 
Treasure    Island.      By    Robert        The    Black    Arrow.      By    Robert 

l.OUIS  STEVENSON.  LOUIS  STEVR.NSON. 

The  Master  of  Ballantrae.       By         Kin-j    Solomon's     Mines.      By     H. 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson.  Rider  Haggard. 


Seleclioiis  from  Cassell  ^  Company's  Publications. 


Things  I  have  Seen  and  People  I  have  Known,  liy  G.  A.  Sai.a. 
Willi  Porlrait  and  Autograph.     2  Vols.     2is. 

Tidal  Thames,  '1  he.  Uy  Guant  .^i.i.kn.  Witli  India  I'roof  Impres- 
sions of  Twenty  iiiignilicent  Full-page  Fhotogr.Tvure  Plates,  and  with 
many  other  Uiustratious  in  the  Text  after  Original  Drawings  by 
W.  L.  WvLLiE,  A.  R.A.  t*'evi  Eli  tiou,  cloth,  42s.  net.  A'so  in  Half 
mori'cro. 

To  the  Death.     By  R.  D.  Chetwode.     With  Fom-  PUtes,  5s. 

Tr.-3tment,  The  Year-Book  of,  for  1897.  .\  Critical  Review  for  Prac- 
titioners of  Medicine  and  Surgery.      'I'hirlcnth  )'eiir  0/  /.ssuc.    7s.  6d. 

Trees,  Familiar.  By  G.  S.  Boulger,  F.L.S.  Two  Series.  With  40 
Coloured  Plates  in  each.     {Price  o"  tipfUc  ition.) 

Tuxter's  Little  Maid.     15y  G.  B.  Bt'K(iiN.     6s. 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin.  By  Haruiei-  Hkkchilr  Stowe.  With  upwards 
of  100  Original  Illustrations.     Fine  Art  Mctnoriii  Edition,  7s.  6d. 

"Unicode":  the  Universal  Telegraphic  Phrase  Book.  DeiU  or 
Pocket  Edition.    2s.  6d. 

United  States,  Cassell's  History  of  the.  By  Eumunij  Ollier. 
With  600  Illustrations.     Three  Vols.     gs.  c.ncli. 

Universal  History,  Cassell's  Illustrated.    Four  Vols.     qs.  each. 

Vision  of  Saints,  A.  By  Sir  Lewi.s  Morris.  With  20  Full-page  Illustra- 
tions     Crown  4to,  cloth,  los.  6d.     Non-iHusirated  Edition,  6s. 

Wandering  Heath.     Short  Stories.     By  Q.     6s. 

War  and  Peace,  Memories  and  Studies  of.  By  Archibald  Forbes. 
Dug. n<ii  Edition,  16s,     Clicap  Edition,  b%. 

Westrninster  Abbey,  Annals  of.  By  E.  T.  Bradley  (Mr.=.  A.  Murray 
.Shirrn).     Illustrated.    With  a  Preface  by  the  Dean  of  Westminster.    63s. 

What  Cheer!     By  W.  Clark  Russell.     6s. 

White  Shield,  The.     By  Bertram  Mitford.     6s. 

Wild  Birds,  Familiar.  Bv  W.  Swaysland.  Four  Series.  With  40 
Coloured  Plates  in  each.     (Sold  in  sets  only  ;  price  on  application  ) 

Wild  Flowers,  Familiar.  By  F.  E.  Hulme,  F.L.S.,  F.S.A.  Five  Series. 
With  40  Coloured  Plates  in  each.     (In  sets  only  ;  price  on  application.) 

Windsor  Castle,  The  Governor's  Guide  to.  By  the  Most  Noble  the 
Marquis  of  Lorne,   K  T.     Illustrated,     is.  ;  cloth,  2s. 

W;t  and  Humour,  Cassell's  New  World  of.  With  New  Pictures  and 
New  Text.     In  Two  Vols.,  6s.  each. 

With  Llaymore  and  Bayonet.     I?y  Col.  Percy  Groves.     Hid.    5s. 

Work.  I'he  Illustrated  Weekly  Journal  for  Mechanics.  Half-yearly. 
Vols.,  4s.  each. 

"  Work  "  Handbooks.  Practical  IManuals  prepared  jiiidcr  tiie  direction 
(?/Paul  N.  Hasluck,  Editor  of  IVork.     Illustrated,     is.  each. 

World   of  Wonders.     Illustrated.       Cheap  Edition,  Vol.   I.,  4s.  6d. 

Wrecker,  The.    By  R.  L.  Stevenson  and  L.  Osdourne.   Illustrated.   6s. 


ILLUSTRATED  MAGAZINES. 
The  Quiver,     Monthly,  6d. 
Cassell's  Familij   Magazine,     Monthly,  6d. 
"IJftle   Folks"   Magaziiip,     Monthly,  6d. 
The  Magazine  of  Art.     Monthly,  is.  4d. 

"  Chums."    Illustrated  Paper  for  Boys.     Weekly,  id.  ;  Monthly,  6d. 
Cassell's  Saturday  Journal.     Weekly,  id.;  Monthly,  6d. 
Work.     Weekly,  id.  ;  Monthly,  6d. 
Building    IVorld.     The    New  Practical  Journal  on  Building  and 

Building  Trades.     Weekly,  id.  ;  Monthly,  6d. 
Cottage  Gardening.     Weekly,  Jed.  ;    Monthly,  3d. 

CASSELL  &  COMPANY,  Limited,  Ludgate  Hill,  London. 


Selections  from  Cassell  d;  Company's  Publications. 

^tblcs  ani>  lltligious  MorUs. 

Bible  Biographies.     Illustrated,     is.  6d.  each. 

The  Storv  of  Moses  and  Joshua.    By  the  Rev.  J.  Telford. 

The  Stcrv  of  the  Judges.     By  the  Rev.  J.  Wycliffi-  Gedge. 

The  story  of  Samvtel  and  Saul.    By  the  Rev.  D.  C.  TOVEY. 

The  Story  ol  David.    By  the  Rev.  J.  Wild. 

The  Stox-y  of  Joseph.  Its  Lessons  for  To-Day.  By  the  Rev.  GEORGE  B  ATNTON. 


The  Story  of  Jesus.     In  Verse.    By  J.  R.  MACDUFF,  D.D. 


Bible,  Cassell's  Illustrated  Family.     With  900  Illustrations.     Leather. 

gilt  edges,  £2  los. 
Bible  Educator,  The.     Edited  by  the  Very  Rev.  Dean  Plu.mptre,  D.D 

With  Illustrations,  Maps,  &c.      Four  Vols.,  cloth,  6s.  each. 
Bible    Dictionary,    Cassell's    Concise     Illustrated.      By    the    Rev. 

Robert  Hunter,  LL  D.     Illustrated.    7s.  6d. 
Bible  Student   in  the    British  Museum,  The.      Ey  the   Rev.   J,    G. 

KiTCHiN,  M.A.     Neiu  and  Revised  Edition,     is.  4d. 
Bunyan,  Cassell's  Illustrated.    With  200  Original  Illustrations.    Cheap 

Edition.     7s.  6d. 
Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress.    Illustrated  throughout.    Cloth,  3s.  6d.; 

cloth  gilt,  gilt  edges,  5s. 
Child's  Bible,  The.     With  200  Illustrations,     i^oth  Thousand.     7s.  6d. 
Child's  Life  of  Christ,  The.     With  200  Illustrations.    7s.  6d. 
Conquests  of  the  Cross.     Illustrated.      In  3  Vols.     gs.  e.ich. 
Dore  Bible      With  238  Illustrations  by  Gustave  Dor6.     Small  folio,  best 

morocco,  gilt  edges,  ;^I5.  Popular  Edition.  With  200  Illustrations.  15s. 
Early  Days  of  Christianity,  The.     By  the  Very  Rev.  Dean  Farrak, 

D.D.,  F.R.S.     Library  Edition.     Two  Vols.,  24s.  ;  morocco,  £2  2s. 

Popular  Edition.     Complete  in  One  Volume,  cloth,  6s. ;  cloth,  gilt 

edges.  7s.  6d.  ;  Persian  morocco,  los.  6d.  ;  tree-calf,  15s. 
Family  Prayer-Book,  The.     Edited  by  Rev.  Canon  Garbett,  M.A., 

and  Rev.  S.  Martin.      With   Full  page  Illustrations.      7s.  6d. 
Gleanings   after    Harvest.     Studies  and  Sketches  by  the  Rev.  John  R. 

Vernon,  M.A.     Illustrated.    6s. 
"Graven  in  the  Rock."      By  the  Rev.   Dr.  Samuel  Kinns,  F.R.A.S. 

Illustrated.     Library  Edition.     Two  Vols.,  15s. 
"Heart  Chords."     A  Series  of  Works  by  Eminent  Divines,     is.  each. 

MY    Body.     By  the  Rev.   Prof.    \V.   G. 


MY  Comfort  in  Sorrow.  By  Hugh 
Macmillan,  D  D. 

My  Bible.  By  the  Right  Rev.  W.  BOYD 
Carpenter,  Bishop  of  Ripon. 

Mv  Father.  By  the  Right  Rev.  Ash- 
ton  O.VENDEN,  late  Bibhop  of  Mont- 
real. 

MY  Work  for  God.  By  the  Right 
Rev.  Bishop  Con  ERILL. 

Mv  Object  in  Life.  By  the  Very 
Rev.  Dean  Farrar.  D.D. 

My  Aspirations.  By  the  Rev.  G. 
Matheson,  D.D. 

My  Emotional  Life.  By  the  Rev. 
Preb.  CHADWICK,  D.D. 


Blaikie.  D.D. 
MY  Growth  in  Divine  Life.    By  the 

Rev.  I'reb.  REYNOLDS,  M.A. 
Mv  SOUL.     By  the  Rev.  P.  B.  POWER. 

M.A. 
MY  Hereafter.    By  the  Very  Rev. 

Dean  SICKERSTETH. 
MY  Walk  with  God.      By  the  Very 

Rev.  De.in  MONTGOMERY. 
MY  Aids  to  the  Divinf.  Life.    By 

the  Very  Rev.  Dea.T  BOYLE. 
MY  sources  OF   STRENGTH.      By  tlie 

Rev.  E.E.Jenkins,  M. .\.,  Secretary 

01  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society. 

Helps  to  Belief.  A  Series  of  Helpful  Manuals  on  the  Religious 
Difficulties  of  the  Day.  Edited  by  the  Rev.  Teign.mouth  Shore,  M.A., 
Canon  of  Worcester.     Cloth,  is.  each. 


Creation.     By  Harvey  Goodwin,  D.D.. 

late  Bishop  of  Carlisle. 
THE    DIVINITY    OF    OUR     LORD.     By 

the  Lord  B-shop  of  Derry. 
Miracles.      By  tlie    Rev.    Brownlow 

Maitland,  M.A. 


Prayer.  By  the  Rev.  Canon  Shore, 
M.A. 

THE  ATONEMENT.  By  William  Connor 
Magee,  D.D.,  Late  Arclihishop  of 
York. 

S'-.    8.96W 


Selections  from  Cassell  ^  Company's  Publications. 


Holy  Land  and  the  Bible,  The.     By  the  Rev.  C.  Grikie,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

(liilin.).     Ch.-'i/>  Edition,  wiili  24  Collotype  Pl.>.tes,  12s.  6d. 
Life  of  Christ,  The.     By   the  Very  Rev.  Dean  Kakrar,  D.D.,  F.R.S. 

Cheap   Edition.    With   16    Full-page   I'latcs.     Cloth    gilt,    3s.  6d. 

LliiRARY     EnniON.      Two      Vols.    "  Cloth,      24s.  ;      niurocco,      42s. 

Illustrated  Edition.      Cloth,  7s.  6d.  ;  cloth,  full  gilt,  gilt  edsies, 

IDS.  6d.     Popular  Edition  {Rci'ised  and  Eulmxcd),  8vo,  cloth,  gilt 

edges,  7s.  6d.  ;  Persian  morocco,  gilt  edges,  los.  6d.  ;  tree-calf,  15s. 
Moses  and  Geology  ;  or,  The  Harmony  of  the  Bible  with  Science. 

By  the  Rev.  Samuel  Kinns,   Ph.D.,  F.R.A.S.    Illustrated     Library 

Edition,  Revised  to  Dale.     los.  6d. 
My    Last    Will    and    Testament.      By   Hyacinthe   Loyson    (Pere 

Hyacinthc).     Tr.anslated  by  Faiuan  Ware.     is.  ;  cloth,  is.  6d. 
New  Light  on  the  Bible  and  the  Holy  Land.     By  B.  T.  A.  Evetts, 

M.A.     Illustrated.     7s.  6d 
New  Testament  Commentary  for  English   Readers,  The.    Edited 

by  Bishop  Ellico  r  r.     In  I'luee  Volumes.  21s.  each.   Vol.  I.— The  Four 

Gospels.     Vol.    II.— The  .'\cts,  Romans,  Coriiuhians,  Galatians.      Vol. 

III. — The  remaining  Books  of  the  New  Testament. 
New  Testament  Commentary.     Edited  by  Bishop  Ellicott.      Handy 

Voiunie    Edition.      St.   Matthew,  3s.   6d.     St.   Mark,  3s.     St.    Luke, 

3s.  6d.     St.  John,  3s.  6d.    The  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  3s.  6d.  Romans, 

2S.  6d.     Corinthians  I.  and  II.,  3s.     Galatians,  Ephesians,  and  Philip- 

pians,    3s.       Colossians,    Thessalonians,    and    Timothy,    3s.      Titus, 

Philemon,    Hebrews,    and   James,   3s.      Peter,    Jude,    and   John,    3s. 

The  Revelation,  3s.      An  Introduction  to  the  New  Testament,  3s.  6d. 
Old  Testament  Commentary  for  English  Readers,  The.     Edited 

by  Bishop  Ellicott.   Complete  in  Five  Vols.  21s.  each.  Vol.  I. — Genesis 

to  Numbers.     Vol.    II.  —  Deuteronomy  to  Samuel  II.      Vol.    111. — 

Kings  I.  to  Esther.     Vol.    IV.— Job   to   Isaiah.     Vol.  V.  -Jeremiah  to 

Malachi. 
Old  Testament  Commentary.     Edited  by  Bishop  Ellicott.     Handy 

Volume    Edition.      Genesis,    3s.    6d.        Exodus,    3s.      Leviticus,    3s. 

Numbers,  2S.  6d.      Deuteronomy,  2s.  6d. 
Plain   Introductions   to  the  Books  of  the  Old  Testament.     Edited 

by  Bishop  Ellicott.     3s.  6d. 
Plain  Introductions  to  the  Books  of  the  New  Testament.     Edited 

by  Bishop  Ph.LicoTT.     3s,  6d. 
Protestantism,   The  History  of.      By  the  Rev.  J.   A.   Wvlie,   LL.D. 

Containing  upwards  of  600  Original  Illustrations.  Three  Vols,  gs.each. 
Quiver  Yearly  Volume,  The.     With   about   600   Original    Illustrations. 

7s.  6d. 
Religion,     The     Dictionary    of.      By  the    Rev.    W.   Benham,    B.D. 

Cheap  Edition.     los.  6d. 
St.  George  for  England  ;  and  other  Sermons  preached  to  Children.     By 

the  Rev.  T.  Teionmouth  Shore,  M.A.,  Canon  of  Worcester.     5s. 
St.   Paul,  The  Life  and  Work  of.     By  the  Very  Rev.  Dean  Farrar, 

D.D.,  F.R.S.     Library  Edition.     Two  Vols.,  cloth,  24s.  ;  calf,  42s. 

Illustrated   Edition,   complete   in    One    Volume,  with   about  300 

Illustrations,   £l    is.  ;    morocco,   £2  2s.      Popular   Edition.      One 

Volume,  8vo,   cloth,  6s.  ;  Persian  morocco,  los.  6d.  ;  tree-calf,  15s. 
Shall  We  Know  One  Another  in  Heaven?     By  the  Rt.  Rev.  J.  C. 

Rvle,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Liverpool.  Cheafi  Eilit  on.  Paper  covers,  6d. 
Searchings  in  the  Silence.  By  Rev.  George  Mathesun,  D.D.  3s.  6d. 
"Sunday,"  Its  Origin,   History,  and  Present  Obligation.      By  the 

Ven.  Archdeacon  Hessey,  D.C.L.     E'ljth  Edition.     7s.  6d. 
Twilight   of  Life,  The.     Words   of  Counsel  and   Comfort   for  the 

Aged.     By  the  Rev.  John  Ellerton,  IM.A.     is.  6d. 


Selections  from  Cassell  ^  Company's  Publications. 

(Btiuntttonal  MTorhs  anti  .^tutrtnts'  Jltanuals. 

Agricultural  Text-Books,  Cassell's.    (The  "Downton"  Series.)  Edited 

by  John    Wrightson,    Professor   of  Agriculture.     Fully   Illu.strated, 

2s.  6d.   each. — Farm    Crops.      By  Prof.   Wrightson. — Soils    and 
Manures.     By  J.  M.  H.  .Munro,  D.Sc.   (London),    F.I.C.,   F.C.S. 

— Live  Stock.     By  Prof  Wrightson. 
Alphabet,  Cassell's  Fictorial.    3s.  fid. 
Arithmetics,  Cassell's  "  Belle  Sauvage."     By  George  Ricks,  B.Sc. 

Lond.     With  Test  Cards.     (List  on  application.) 
Atlas,  Cassell's  Popular.     Containing  24  Coloured  Maps.     is.  6d. 
Book-Keeping.     By   Theodore  Jones.      For  Schools,  as.  ;   cloth,  3s. 

For  the  Million,  2s.  ;  cloth,  3s.     Books  for  Jones's  System,  2s. 
British    Empire    Map   of    the  World.      New   Map    for    Schools    and 

Institutes.     By  G.  R.  Parkin  and  J.  G.  Bartholomew,  F.R.G.S.    25s. 
Chemistry,  The  Public  School.     By  J.  H.  Anderson,  M. A.     23.  6d. 
Cookery  for  Schools.    By  Lizzie  Heritage.     6d. 
Dulce  Domum.      Rhymes  and  Songs  for  Children.       Edited  by  John 

Farmer,  Editor  of  "  Gaudeamus,"  &c.     Old  Notation  and  Words,  5s. 
N.B. — The  words  of  the  Songs  in  "Dulce  Domum"  (with  the  Airs  both 

in  Tonic  Sol-fa  and  Old  Notation)  can  be  had  in  Two  Parts,  6d.  each. 
Euclid,  Cassell's.     Edited  by  Prof.  Wallace,  M.A.     is. 
Euclid,  The  First  Four  Books  of.  Ne-w  Edition.  In  paper,  6d. ;  cloth,  gd. 
Experimental  Geometry.     By  Paul  Bert.     Illustrated,     is.  6d. 
French,  Cassell's  Lessons  in.     New  and  Revised  Edition.     Parts   I. 

and  II.,  each  2s.  6d.  ;  complete,  4s.  6d.     Key,  is.  6d. 
French-English  and  English-French    Dictionary.      Entirely  New 

and  Enlarged  Edition.     Cloth,  3s.  6d.  ;  half  morocco,  5s. 
French  Reader,  Cassell's  Public  School.    By  G.  S.  Conrad.   2s.  6d. 
Gaudeamus.     Songs  for  Colleges  and  Schools.     Edited  by  John  Farmer. 

5s.     Words  only,  paper  covers,  6d.  ;  cloth,  gd. 
German     Dictionary,     Cassell's     New      (German-English,     English- 
German).     Cheap  Edition.     Cloth  3s.  6d.  ;  half  morocco,  5s. 
Hand  and  Eye  Training.   By  G.  Ricks,  B.Sc.   2  Vols.,  with  16  Coloured 

Plates  in  each  Vol.  Cr.  410,  6s.  each.  Cards  for  Class  Use,  5  sets,  is.  each. 
Hand   and   Eye   Training.      By   George   Ricks,    B.Sc,   and   Joseih 

Vaughan.    Illustrated.   Vol.1.    Designing  with  Coloured  Papers; 

Vol.    II.    Cardboard   Work,   2s.  each.      Vol.   III.     Colour  Work 

and  Design,  3s. 
Historical    Cartoons,   Cassell's    Coloured.      Size  45  in.  x  35  in.,  2s. 

each.     Mounted  on  canvas  and  varnished,  with  rollers,  5s.  each. 
Italian  Lessons,  with  Exercises,  Cassell's.     Cloth,  3s.  6d. 
Latin  Dictionary,  Cassell's  Ne\v.     (Latin-English  and  English- Latin.) 

Revised  by  J.  R.  V.  Marchant,  M.A.,  and  J.  F,  Charles,   B.A. 

Cloth,  3s.  6d.  ;  half  morocco,  5s. 
Latin  Primer,  The  First.     By  Prof.  Postgate.     is. 
Latin  Primer,  The  New.     By  Prof.  J.  P.  Postgate.   Crown  8vo,  2s.  6d. 
Latin  Prose  for  Lower  Forms.     By  M.  A.  Bayfield,  M.A.     2s.  6d. 
Laws  of  Every-Day  Life.     By  H.  O.  Aknold-Forster,  M.P.    is.  6d. 

Special  Edition  on  Green  Paper  for  Persons  wi^h  Weak  Eyesight,     as. 
Lessons  in  Our  Laws;  or,  Talks  at  Broadacre  Farm.     By  H.  F. 

Lester,  B.A.     Parts  I.  and  II.,  is.  6d.  each. 
Little  Folks'  History  of  England.     Illustrated,     is.  6d. 
Making  of  the  Home,  The.     By  Mrs.  Samuel  A   Barnett.     is.  6d. 
Marlborough    Books: — Arithmetic    Examples,    3s.     French   Exercises, 

3s.  6d.     French  Grammar,  2s.  6d.     German  Grammar,  3s.  5d. 
Mechanics  and  Machine  Design,  Numerical  Examples  in  Practical. 

By  R.  G.  Blaine,  M.E.    New  Edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged.    With 

79  Illustrations.     Cloth,  2S.  6d. 
Mechanics  for  Young  Beginners,  A  First   Book  of.     By  the  Rev. 

J.  G.  Easton,  M.A.     Cheap  Edition,    as.  6d. 


Selections  from  Cassell  i;  Company's  Publications. 


Natural  History  Coloured  Wall  Sheets,  Cassell's  New.  16  Sub- 
iccts.  Size  39  by  31  in.    Mounteii  on  rollers  .ind  varnished.   3s.  each. 

Object  Lessons  from  Nature.  Hy  Prof.  L.  C.  Miall,  F.L.S.  Fully 
Illuslrateii.     Nfiv  and  Enlarged  Edition.    Two  Vols.,  is.  6d.  each. 

Physiology  for  Schools.  I'.y  A.  T.  Schofield,  M.D.,  M.R.C.S.,&c. 
Illustrated.  Cloth,  IS.  gd.  ;  Three  Parts,  paper  covers,  5d.  each  ;  or 
cloth  limp,  6d.  cacli. 

Poetry  Readers,  Cassell's  New.  Illustrated.  12  Books,  id.  each  ;  or 
complete  in  one  Vol.,  clotli,  is.  Cd. 

Popular  Educator,  Cassell's  NEW.  With  Revised  Text,  New  Maps, 
New  Coloured  Plates,  New  Type,  &c.  In  Vols.,  5s.  each;  or  in 
Four  Vols.,  half-morocco.  50s.  the  set. 

Readers,  Cassell's  "Belle  Sauvage."  An  entirely  New  Series.  Fully 
Illustrated.     Strongly  bound  in  cloth.     {List  on  application.) 

Readers,  Cassell's  "Higher  Class."     (List  on  aJ>/>lication.) 

Readers,  Cassell's  Readable.     Illustrated.     (List  on  application.) 

Readers  for  Infant  Schools,  Coloured.     Three  Books.    4d.  each. 

Reader,  The  Citizen.  By  H.  O.  Arnolu-Forster,  M.P.  Illustrated. 
IS.  6d.    Also  a  Scottish  Edition,  cloth,  is.  6d. 

Reader,  The  Temperance.   By  Rev.  [.  Dennis  Hird.  Crown  8vo,  is.  6d. 

Readers,  Geographical,  Cassell's  New.  With  numerous  Illustrations. 
(List  en  application.) 

Readers,  The  "Modern  School"  Geographical.  {I^ist  on  application.) 

Readers,  The  "Modern   School."     Illustrated.     (List  on  application.) 

Reckoning,  Howard's  Art  of.  By  C.  F'rusher  Hdward.  Paper 
covers,  is.  ;  cloth,  2s.      Ne^u  Edition,  5s. 

Round  the  Empire.     By  G.  R.  Parkin.     Fully  Illustrated,     is.  6d. 

Science  Applied  to  Work.     By  J.  A.  Bower,     is. 

Science  of  Everyday  Life     ByJ.  A.  Bhwer.     Illustrated,     is. 

Shade  from  Models,  Common  Objects,  and  Casts  of  Ornament, 
How  to.     By  \V.  E.   Sfakkes.    With  25  Plates  by  the  .Author.    3s. 

Shakspere's  Plays  for  School  Use.     9  Books.     Illustrated.     6d.  each. 

Spelling,  A  Complete  Manual  of.     By  J.  D.  Morell,  LL  D.     is. 

Technical   Manuals,  Cassell's.      Illustrated  throughout  :^ 

Handrailing  and  Staircasing,  3s.  6d. — Bricklayers,  Drawing  for,  3s. — 
Building  Construction,  2S.  —  Cabinet-Makers,  Drawing  for,  3s.  — 
Carpenters  and  Joiners,  Drawing  for,  3s.  6d. — Gothic  Stonework,  3s. — 
Linear  Drawing  and  Practical  Geometry,  2S. — Linear  Drawing  and 
Projection.  The  Two  Vols,  in  One,  3s.  6d. — Machinists  and  Engineers, 
Drawing  for,  4s.  5d. — Model  Drawing,  3s. — Orthographical  and  Isdine- 
trical  Projection,  2s. — Practical  Perspective,  3s. — Stonemasons,  Drawing 
for,  3s. — Applied  Mechanics,  by  Sir  R.  S.  Ball,  LL.D.,  2S.— Systematic 
Drawing  and  Shading,  2S. 

Technical  Educator,  Cassell's  New.  With  Coloured  Plates  and 
Engravings.     Complete  in  Six  Volumes,  5s.  each. 

Technology,  Manuals  of.  Edited  by  Prof.  Ayrton,  F.R.S.,  and 
Richard  Wormell,  D.Sc,  M.A.  Illustrated  throughout  : — 
Ihe  Dyeing  of  Textile  Fabrics,  by  Prof.  Hummel,  5s. — Watch  .and 
Clock  Slaking,  by  D.  Glasgow,  Vice-President  of  the  British  Horo- 
logical  Institute,  4s.  6d. — Steel  and  Iron,  by  Prof.  W.  H.  Greenwood, 
F.C.S.,  M.I.C.E.,  &c.,  5S.— Spinning  Woollen  and  Worsted,  by  W.  S. 
B.  McLaren,  M. P., 4s.  6d.— Design  in  Textile  Fabrics,  by  T.  R.  Ashen- 
hurst,  4s.  6d. — Practical  Mechanics,  by  Prof.  Perry,  M.E.,  3s.  6d. — 
Cutting  Tools  Worked  by  Hand  and  Machine,  by  Prof.  Smith,  3s.  6d. 

Things  New  and  Old  ;  or.  Stories  from  English  History.  By 
H.  O.  Arnold-Forster,  M.P.  Fully  Illustrated,  and  strongly  bound 
in  Cloth.  Standards  I.  &  II.,  gd.  each;  Standard  III.,  is.; 
Standard  IV.,  IS.  3d.  ;  Standards  V.  &  VI.,  is.  6d.  each  ;  Standard 
VII.,  IS.  8d. 

This  World  of  Ours,  By  H.  O.  Arnold-Forster,  M.P.  Illustrated. 
3s.  6d. 


Selections  from  Cassell  ^  Compan/s  Publicatiom. 


§oohs  for  ijoun^  |ltopk. 

"Little  Folks"  Half-Yearly  Volume.  Containing  4S0  410  pages,  with 
Pictures  on  nearly  e\ery  page,  together  with  Six  Full-page  Coloured 
Plates,  and  numerous  other  llluitrations  in  Colour.  Boards,  3s.  6d.  ; 
cloih  gilt,  gilt  edges,  5s.  each. 

Bo-Peep.  A  Book  for  the  LittleOnes.  With  Original  Stories  and  Verses. 
With  8  Coloured  Plates,  and  numerous  other  Illustrations  printed  in 
Colour.     Yearly  Volume.    Boards,  2s.  6d.  ;  cloth,  3s.  6d. 

Beneath  the  Banner.  Being  Narratives  of  Noble  Lives  and  Brave 
Deeds.     By  F.  J.  Cross.     Illustrated.    Limp  cloth,  is.    Cloth  gilt,  2s. 

Good  Morning!  Good  Night!  By  F.J.Cross.  lUust  ated.  Limp 
cloth,  IS.,  or  cloth  boards,  gilt  lettered,  2S. 

Five  Stars  in  a  Little  Pool.  By  Edith  Carkington.  Illustrated.  3s.  6d. 

Merry  Girls  of  England.     By  L.  T.  Meade.     3s.  6d. 

Beyond  the  Blue  Mountains.     By  L.  T.  Meade.     5s. 

The  Peep  of  Day.     Casseh's  Illustrated  Edition.     2S.  6d. 

A  Book  of  Merry  Tales.  By  Maggie  Browne,  "Sheila,"  Isabel 
Wilson,  and  C.  L.  Mateaux.     Illustrated.     3s.  6d. 

A  Sunday  Story-Book.     By  Maggie  Browne,  Sam  Browne,  and  Aunt 

Ethel.     Illustrated.     3s.  6d. 
A    Bundle   of   Tales.     By  Maggie  Browne     (Author  of  "Wanted — a 

King,"  &c.),  Sam  Browne,  and  Aunt  Ethel.     3s.  6d. 
Pleasant  Work  for  Busy  Fingers.     By  Maggie  Browne.    Illustrated 

Cheap  Edition.     2s.  6d. 
Born  a  King.     By  Frances  and  Mary  Arnold-Forster.     (The  Life  of 

Alfonso  XIII.,  the  Boy  King  of  Spain.)     Illustrated,    is. 

Cassell's  Pictorial  Scrap  Book.     In  24  Books,  6d.  each. 

Schoolroom  and  Home  Theatricals.  By  Arthur  Waugh.  Illus- 
trated.    New  Edition.     Cloth,  is.  6d. 

Magic  at  Home.     By  Prof.  Hoffman.     Illustrated.     Cloth  gilt,  3s.  Gd. 

Little  Mother  Bunch.  By  Mrs.  Molesworth.  Illustrated.  Netv Edition. 
Cloth      2S.  6d. 

Heroes  of  Every-day  Life.  By  Laura  Lane.  With  about  20  Full- 
page  Illustrations.     Cloth.     2S.  6d. 

Books  for  Young  People.     Illustrated.     3s.  6d.  each. 


The  Cliampion     of  Odin;     or. 

Viking  J-iife  in  the  Days  of 

Old.     By  J.  Fred.  Hodgetts. 
Bound    by    a   Spell  ;     or,    riie 

HunteaWitcliof  the  i'orest. 

By  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Greene. 
Under    Bayard's    Ban':er.      By 

Henry  Frith. 
Told  Out    of   School.     By   A.  J. 

Daniels. 
•Red  Rose  and  Tiger  Lily.    By 

L.  T.  Meade. 
The  Romane- of  Invention.    By 

James  Burnley. 
♦Basnful      Fifteen.      By      L.      T. 

Meade. 
«rhe  White  House  at  Inch  Gow. 

By  Mrs.  Pitt. 


*A  Sweet  Girl  Graduate.    By  L.  T. 
Meade. 
The  King's  Command:     A  Story 
lor  Gins.  By  Maggie  Symington. 
*The  Palace  Beauutul.       By    L.   T. 

Meade. 
«Polly :   A   New-Fashioned  Girl.  By 
L.  T.  Meade. 
"Follow   My    Leader."      By  Talbot 
Baines  Reed. 
*A  World  of   Girls:    The  Story  of 

a  School.    By  L.  T.  Meade. 
Lost    among  White   Africans.    By 

David  Ker. 
For  Fortune  and  Glory;  A  Story  of 
ttie  Soudan  War.  By  Lewis  Hough. 
Bob  Lovell's  Career.    By  Edward  S, 
Ellis. 


*AliO  procurable  in  superior  binding,  5a.  each. 


Selections  from  Cassell  ^  Company' i  Publications. 


"  Feeps  Abroad"  Library.     Cheap 

Bainble^i  Round  London.     By  C. 

L.  M.ct<!.iux.     Illustrated. 
Around  and  About  Old  England. 

By  C.  L,  Matdaiix.     Illustrated. 
Paws  and  Claws.     By  nnc  of  the 

Authors  of  "  Poems  written  for  a 

Child."    Illustrated. 
Decisive    Events    in    History. 

Bv  Thomas  Aiclier.  With  Origirial 

Illustrations. 
The  Tru(5    Kobinson    Crusoes. 

Cloth  gilt. 


Editions.    Gilt  edges,  as.  6d.  each. 

Peeps  Abroad  for  Folks  at  Home. 
Illustrated  throughout. 

Wild  Adventures  in  'Wild  Flaoes. 
By  Dr.  Gordon  Stables,  R.N.  Illus- 
trated. 

Modern  Explorers.  By  Thomas 
Frost  Illustrated.  Ne7t)  and  Cheaper 
Edi/ion. 

Early  Explorers.     By  Thomas  Frost. 

Home  Chat  with  our  Young  Follts. 
Illustrated  throughout. 

Jungle,  Peak,  and  Plam.  Illustrated 
throughout. 


The  "Cross  and  Crown"    Series 
Freedom's  Sword  :  A  Story  of  the 

Days     cf    Wallace    and     Bruce. 

By  Annie  S.  Swan. 
Strong  to  SulTer:     A    Story   of 

the  Jews.    By  E.  Wynne. 
,  Heroes  of  the  Indian  Empire; 

or.    Stories    of  Valour    and 

Victory.     By  Ernest  Foster. 
In  Letters  of  Flame :    A  Story 

of  the  Waldenses.     By  C.  1.. 

Mat^aux. 


Illustrated.     2s.  6d.  each. 

Through    Trial    to    Triumph.      By 

MadeUne  B.  Hunt. 
By  Fire  and  Sword :    A    Story  of 

the     Huguenots.       By     Thomas 

Archer. 
Adam  Hepburn's  Vow:    A  Tale  of 

Kirk  and   Covenant.     By   Annie 

S.  Swan. 
No.  XIII.:    or,  The  Story   of  the 

Lost   Vestal.       A    Tale    of  Early 

Christian  Days.     By  Enuna  Marshall. 


"Golden  Mottoes  "  Series,  The.    Each  Book  containing  208  pages,  with 
Four  full-page  Original  Illustrations.    Crown  8vo,  cloth  gilt,  2s.  each, 
the 


"  Nil    Desperandum."       By 
Rev.  F.  Lang^bridge,  M.A. 

"Bear  and  Forbear."    By  Sarah 

Pitt. 
"Foremost  if  I  Can."    By  Helen 

Atteridsje. 


"  Honour  is  my  Guide."     By  Jeanie 

Hering  (Mrs.  Adams- Acton). 
"  Aim   at   a   Sure   End."     By  Emily 

Searchfield. 
"  He  Conquers  who  Endures."    By 

the   Author  of  "  May  Cunningham's 

Trial,"  &c. 


"  Wanted— a  King  "  Series.      Illustrated,     as.  6d.  each. 
Great  Grandmamma.    By  Georgina  M.  Synge. 
Robin's  Ride.     By  Ellinor  Davenport  Adams. 
Wanted— a  King;  or.  How  Merle  set  the  Nursery  Rhymes  to  Bigbta. 

By  Maggie  Browne. 
Fairy  Tales  in  Other  Lands.    By  Julia  Goddard. 

Cassell's  Picture  Story  Books.     Each  containing  about  Sixty  Pages  of 
Pictures  and  Stories,  &c      6d.  each. 


Little  Talks. 
Bright  Stars. 
Nursery  Toys. 
Pet's  Posv. 
Tiny  Tales. 


Daisy's  Story  Book. 
Dot's  Story  Book. 
A  Nest  of  Stories. 
Good-Night  Stories. 
Chats  for  Small  Chatterers. 


Auntie's  Stories. 
Birdie's  Story  Book. 
Little  Chim-^s. 
A  Sheaf  of  Tiles. 
Dewdrop  Siories. 


Illustrated  Books  for  the  Little  Ones.     Containing  interesting  Stories. 
All  Illustrated,      is.  each  ;  cloth  gilt,  is.  6d. 


B'ight  Tales  &  Funny  Pictures. 

Merry  Little  Tales. 

Little  Tales  for  Little  People. 

Li'tle  People  and  Their  Pets. 

Ti.les  Told  for  Sunday. 

Sunday  Stories  lor  Small  People. 

Stories  and  Pictures  for  Sunday. 

Bible  Pictures  for  Bo.ys  and  Girls. 

Firelight  Stori»s. 

SunUght  .-ind  Shade. 

Rub-a-Dub  Tales. 

Fine  Feathers  and  Fluffy  Fur. 

Scrambles  and  Scrapes. 

little  Tattle  Tales. 


Up  and  Down  the  Garden, 

All  Sorts  of  Adventures. 

Our  Sunday  Stories. 

Our  Holiciay  Hours. 

Indoors  and  Out. 

Some  Farm  Friends. 

Wandering  Ways. 

Dumb  Friends. 

Those   Golden  Sands. 

Little  Mothers  &  their  Children. 

Our  Pretty  Pets. 

Our  Schoolday  Hours. 

Creatures  Tame. 

Creatures  Wild, 


Selections  from  Cassell  ^  Comparf/s  PubHcations. 


Cassell's  Shilling  Story  Books. 

mgf  Stories. 
Bunty  and  the  Boys. 
The  Heir  of  Elmdale. 
The  Mystery  at  Shonoliff  School. 
Claimed  at  Last,  &  Roy's  Reward. 
Thorns  and  Tangles. 
The  Cuckoo  in  the  Kobin'B  Nest. 
John's  Mistake.  [Pitchers. 

The   History    of  Five    Little 
Diamonds  in  the  Sand. 
Surly  Bob. 


All  Illustrated,  and  containing  Interest* 
The  Giant's  Cradle. 
Shag  and  Doll. 
Aunt  Lucia's  Locket. 
The  Magic  Mirror. 
The  Cost  of  Revenge. 
Clever  Frank. 
Among  the  Redskins. 
The  Ferryman  of  Brill. 
Harry  Maxwell. 
A  Banished  Monarch. 
Seventeen  Cats. 


The    VVorld's    Workers.      A   Series   of  New  and   Original    Volumes. 
With  Portraits  printed  on  a  tint  as  Frontispiece,     is.  each. 


John  Cassell.     By  G.  Holden  Pike. 

Charles  Haddon  Spvirgeou.  By 
G.  Holden  Pike. 

Dr.  Arnold  of  Rugby.  By  Rose 
E.  Selfe. 

The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury.  By 
Henry  Fritli. 

Sai'ah  Robinson,  Agnes  'Wes- 
ton, and  Mrs.  Meredith.  By 
H.  M,  Tonikinson. 

Thomas  A.  Edison  and  Samuel 
P.  B.  Morse.  By  Dr.  Denslow 
and  J.  Marsh  Parker. 

Mrs.  Somerville  and  Mary  Car- 
penter.    By  Phyllis  Browne. 

General  Gordon.  By  the  Rev. 
S.  A.  Swaine. 

Charles  Dickens.  By  his  ElJest 
Daughter. 

Sir  Titus  Salt  and  George 
Moore.     By  J.  Burnley. 


Florence  Nightingale,  Catherine 
Marsh,  Frances  Ridley  Haver- 
gal,  Mrs.  Ranyard  i"L.  N.  R."). 
By  Lizzie  Alldridi^fe. 

Dr.  Guthrie,  Father  Mathew, 
Elihu  Burritt,  George  Livesey. 
By  John  W.  Kirton,  LL.D. 

Sir  Henry  Havelock  and  Colin 
Campbell  Lord  Clyde.  By  E.  C. 
Piiillips. 

Abraham  Lincoln.    By  Ernest  Foster. 

George  MUller  and  Andrew  Reed. 
By  E.  R.  Pitman. 

Richard  Cobden.    By  R.  Gowin^. 

Benjamin  Franklin.  By  E.  M. 
Tomkinson. 

Handel.    By  Eliza  Clarke.  rSwaine. 

Turner  the  Artist.    By  the  Rev.  S.  A. 

George  and  Robert  Stephenson. 
By  C.  L.  Matfaux. 

David  Livingstone.  By  Robert  Smiles. 


•,*  The  above  If 'oris  can  also  be  had  Three  in  One  Vol.,  doth,  gilt  edi;es,  -^s. 


Library    of  Wonders.     Illustrated  Gift-books    for    Boys.     Paper,    is.; 
cloth,  IS.  6d. 
Wonderful  Balloon  Ascents. 
Wonderful  Adventures. 
Wonderful  Escapes. 


Wonders  of  Animal  Instinct. 
Wonders    of   Bodily  Strength 
and  SkiU. 


Cassell's  Eighteenpenny  Story 

Wee  Willie  Winkle. 

TJps  and  Downs  of  a  Donkey's 

Life. 
Three  Wee  ITlster  Lassies. 
TTp  the  Ladder. 

Dick's  Hero:  and  other  Stories. 
The  Chip  Boy. 
Raggles,      Baggies,      and      the 

Emperor. 
Roses  from  Thorns. 

Gift    Books    for    Young  People. 
Original  Illustrations  in  each. 

The  Boy  Hunters  of  Kentucky. 

By  Edward  S.Ellis. 
Red   Feather ;    a    7'a'e    of 

American     Frontier. 

Edward  S.  Ellis. 

Seeking  a  City. 

Rhoda's    Reward;    or, 
Wishes  wrere  Horses." 

Jack  Marston's  Anchor. 

Frank's    Life-Battle ;    or. 
Three  Friends. 

Fritters.     By  Sarali  Pitt. 

The  Two  Hardeastles.    By  Made- 
line Bonavia  Hunt. 


the 
By 


'If 


The 


Books.    Illustrated. 

Faith's  Father. 

By  Land  and  Sea. 

The  Young  Berringtons. 

Jeff  and  Leff. 

Tom  Morris's  Error. 

Worth  more  than  Gold. 

"Through  Flood— Through  Fire"; 

and  other  Stories. 
The  Girl  with  the  Golden  Looks. 
Stories  of  the  Olden  Time. 

By  Popular  Authors.       With  Four 
Cloth  gilt,  IS.  6d.  each. 

Major  Monk's  Motto.      By  the  Rev. 

F.  Lang"bridg:e. 
Trixy.     liy  Maggie  Symington. 
Rags  and  Rainbows:    A   Story  of 

Thanksgiving. 
Uncle  W^illiam's  Charges;  or.  The 

Broken  Trust. 
Pretty   Pink's    Purpose;    or.    The 

Little  Street  Merchants. 
Tim   Thomson's    Trial.     By  George 

Weatherly. 
Ursula's  StumbUng-Block.    By  Julia 

Goddard. 
Ruth's    Life-work.     By  the  Rev. 

Joseph  Johnson. 


Selections  from  Cassfll  if  Company's  Publications. 


Cassell's  Two-Shilling  Story   Books.     Illustrated. 


Margaret's  Enemy. 
Stones  of  the  Tower. 
Mr.  Burke'ii  Nieees. 
May  Cunningham's  Trial. 
The  Top  of  the  Ladder:  How  to 

Reaoh  it. 
Little  Flotsam. 
Madge  and  Her  Friends. 
The  Children  of  the  Court. 
Maid  Marjory. 


Peggy,  and  other  Tales. 

The  Four  Cats  of  tiio  Tippertooa. 

Marion's  Two  Homes. 

Little  Folks'  Sunday  Boole. 

Two  Pourponny  Bits. 

Poor  Nelly. 

Tom  Heribt. 

Through  I'eril  to  Fortune. 

Aunt  Tabitha's  Waifd. 

In  Mischief  Again. 


Books  by  Edward  S.  Ellis.     Illustrated.     Cloth,  2s.  6d.  each. 


Shod  with  Silence. 

The  Great  Cattle  irail. 

Tho  rath  in  thu  Havino. 

The  Young  Kinchcrs. 

The  Hunters  of  the  Ozark. 

The  Camp  in  the  Mountaiaa. 

Ned  in   the   Woods.    A  Tale   of 

Early  Days  in  tlie  West. 
Down  the  Mississippi. 
The  Last  War  Trail. 
Ned   on   the   River.  Tale   of 

lnc!).in  River  Warfare. 


Tho  Phantom  of  the  River. 

Footprints  in  the  Forest. 

Up  the  Tapajos. 

Ned    in    tue    Block   House.    A 
Storvof  Pioneer  Life  in  Kentucky. 

The  Lost  Trail. 

Camp-Fire  and  Wigwam. 

Lost  in  the  Wilds. 

Lost  in  Samoa.       A  Tale  of  Adven- 
ture in  the  Navifjator  Islands. 

Tad  ;  or,  "  Getting  Even"  with 
Him. 


The   "World  in   Pictures.' 
IS.  6d.  each. 

A  Ramble  Round  France. 
All  rhe  Russias. 
Chats  about  Germany. 
'Ihe  Eastern  Wonderland 
(Japan). 


Illustrated  throughout.    Cheap  Edition. 


Glimpses  of  South  America. 
Round  Alriea. 

The  Land  of  Temples  (India). 
The  Isles  of  the  Paciflo. 
Peeps  into  China. 


The  Land  of  Pyramids  (Egypt). 


Half-Crown  Story  Books. 

In  Quest   of  Gold;    or,    TJnder 

the  Whanga  Falls. 


On   Board    the  Esttieralda , 

Martin  Leigli's  Log. 
The  Cost  of  a  Mistake. 
For  (3,ueen  and  King. 
Esther  West. 


or. 


Three  Homes. 

Working  to  Win. 

Perils    Afloat    and    Brigands 

Ashore. 
Pictures  of  School  Life  and  Boy- 
hood. 
At  the  South  Pole. 
Ships,  Sailors,  and  the  Sea. 


Books  for   the  Little  Ones.     Fully  Illustrated. 


Rhymes   for  the   Young   Folk. 

By  William  AUing-liam.  iieaulitully 

Illustrated.     Is.  6d. 
Cassell's      Robliibon      Crusoe. 

\\'ith     100     Illustrations.      Clotli, 

33.  ed;  gilt  ed>;es,  ts. 


Cassell's  Swiss  Family  Robinson. 

Illustrated.      Cloth,    3s.   6d. ;      gilt 

edges    6s. 
Tlie    Sunday    Scrap    Book.     With 

Several  Hundred  Illustrations.    Paper 

boards,  3s.  6d. ;  cloth,  gilt  edges,  5s. 


The  Old  Fairy  Tales.    With  Original  Illustrations.    Boards,  Is.;  cloth,  Is.ed. 


Albums  for  Children.      3s.  6d.  each. 

The  Album  for  Home,  School,    j     Picture  Album  of  All  Sorts.      With 

Full-page  Illustrations. 


and  Play.  Containing  Stories  by 
Popular    Authors.       Illustrated. 
My    Own    Album    of    Animals. 
With  Full-page  Illustrations. 


The    Chit-Chat 
throughout 


Album.      Illustrated 


Cassell  &  Company's  Complete  Catalogue  will  be  sent  post 

free  on  application  to 


CASSELL   &   COMPANY,    Limited,  Ludgate  Hill,  London. 


.^iD      Thorpe,  (Sir)  Thomas  Edward 
22         Humphry  Davy 

D3T5 
1896 


P&A  Sci. 


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